


Well, Nothing Seems to Matter

by whynotnow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Werewolf Stiles Stilinski, Young Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-03-19
Packaged: 2019-06-21 12:31:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 22,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15557766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynotnow/pseuds/whynotnow
Summary: It’s bad enough being a secret werewolf trying to woo a girl like Kate Argent. Derek definitely doesn’t need Stilinski, a Slytherin that everyone says is a Death Eater in the making, butting into his life at every turn.Stiles, meanwhile, is just trying to make sure that dumb Hale kid survives until second year.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First fic so please go easy on me

It was Derek Hale’s first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he was agitated.

  
The entire Hale family had come to King’s Cross in order to see Derek and Laura off and Derek felt absolutely smothered by the attention his magical family was forcing upon him. It didn’t help that Laura, a third year, had a smug look on her stupid smug face as she watched Peter thump Derek on the back in between his mum’s teary hugs. The situation was made even worse by the realization that the other adolescents milling around the station would soon become his peers. What a fantastic introduction.

  
Derek was rather hoping that everyone’s first impression of him would be slightly more impressive. He was already starting out with a handicap, as he knew his mulish and stoic disposition would be constantly compared with Laura’s outgoing attitude. In addition, his wolf instincts had made him snappy and abrupt with those he was not familiar with. Thus, Derek really didn’t need his mum’s blubbering to send him even further into the territory of magical outcast.

  
“You have your suitcase, yes?” Mum checked in a panic. “And your wand? How about your books? Do you have them, then?”

  
“Yes to all three, mum,” Derek mumbled, “and we really should be going…”

  
“Remember to take your wolfsbane tablets! Every day! Do you need me to set an alarm?” She pressed in a thankfully quieter tone.

  
“Mother! It’s not like this is my first time in public!” Derek hissed. Ever since he could remember, Derek and his wolfier family members had to take daily wolfsbane tablets, a diffused version of the potion. The tablets slightly numbed their senses and strength ensuring that they wouldn’t stand out from their peers too much. But, most importantly, they prevented the need for a shift every full moon. In fact, shifting was a bit difficult on the tablets and usually required a burst of adrenaline or intense emotions. The only time Derek had ever succeeded in shifting on the tablets was after seeing his younger sister break her arm in the woods. He had shifted so that he could get help quickly.

  
His mother let out a loud sob and clung to Derek’s father’s arm. “But it’s your first time away for so long!”

  
Derek sighed and gave her a pat on the arm before glancing worriedly at Laura. She just regarded him with a smirk before grabbing up Cora and Andrew into a big hug. “We’ll miss you squirts!” She said. “Don’t forget to write!”

  
The two gave her a serious nod before darting to squeeze Derek around the middle as well. “You better write back.” Cora warned him.

  
Derek nodded distractedly before catching two of his aunts in a hug. He continued down the line of Hales, handing out handshakes and cheek-kisses with poor precision, while keeping his eyes trained (ha) on the body of the Hogwarts Express.

  
“Merlin, Derek!” Laura laughed, “It’s not gonna leave without us!”

  
Derek glared at her before leaning in to give his mother and father a final peck on the cheek. “Even so, I think it’s time we get a move on.”

  
“All right, all right!” His father laughed, shooing them away good-naturedly as his wife clung pitifully from his neck. “Get out of here, you two! We’ll miss you!”

  
Derek took the invitation eagerly, snatching up his suitcase and practically dragging Laura away from their family as his mother cried out choked off ‘I love you’s’ for all the world to hear. Laura snickered but quickly clambered up the train’s entrance at Derek’s heels and showed him where to deposit their suitcases. The two then set about to find an available compartment. They finally found a compartment with only one girl inside, who was reading a dark colored book.

  
“Hello,” Derek mumbled. The girl glanced up and Derek instantly recognized her. This was Kate Argent. Derek had seen her in Flourish & Blotts when he was trying to buy his books. He had often heard Laura complain about Kate during long runs in the summer but his sister had never bothered to mention how gorgeous she was. She was tall and confident, with an impeccable appearance that made Derek want to do stupid things like fix his hair. When Derek had spotted her at the bookstore she had been surrounded by older boys, and all seemed to be hanging onto her every word. And yet, Kate had looked at him for a moment and given him a smile.

  
Derek had known instantly that he was in love.

  
This belief was substantiated by the return of this smile once again on Kate’s face. “Oh, hello, Laura! This must be your little brother!”

  
Derek knew his face must have darkened at being called little and he glanced back at Laura for a moment. Her face was much colder than usual and her lips were pinched tight. Derek frowned. How could Laura dislike the love of his life?

  
“Yes,” Laura said, but made no hint that she cared to elaborate.

  
“Well, why don’t you two join me?” Kate purred, moving her beautiful eyes to Derek who wasn’t oblivious enough to not notice how his wolf preened under the attention. “There’s plenty of room!”

  
Derek eagerly made to take the seat across from Kate but Laura grabbed his wrist. He looked back at her pleadingly, begging her to ignore her apparent dislike for Kate long enough for Derek to get Kate to fall in love with him. Apparently this thought wasn’t properly communicated because Laura only rolled her eyes at him. But before Laura could make some sort of excuse as to why they wouldn’t be sitting in this compartment, someone barreled through the doorway, knocking into Derek’s shoulder.

  
Derek spun angrily, his wolf already enraged that someone would be so blatantly disrespectful, but the person just kept walking before slumping into the seat that Derek had initially wanted and was soon followed by two others. It was a boy, already dressed in robes with the unmistakable Slytherin crest displayed across the front. His two followers were similarly dressed, a boy with a cocky smirk and a prim redheaded girl. They quickly took the remaining spots in the compartment.

  
“Hey!” Derek started. “We were-”

  
“You were what?” The boy interrupted in a snappy voice. He stared up at Derek with golden brown eyes amidst a creamy white face that might have been sweet in any other situation. “Standing awkwardly in the doorway? Well then, bravo, your performance as Awkward Doorway Barrier was masterful. Your parents would be proud.”

  
“No,” Derek growled, “We were going to sit there and you just-”

  
“Derek, come on.” Laura said softly from behind him. Derek turned to her and saw that Laura’s eyes were warily trained on the boy.

  
“What? But Laura!” He tried.

  
“Now, Stiles,” Kate cooed in a teasingly scolding tone, “That wasn’t a very nice way to introduce yourself to Derek!”

  
The boy, Stiles apparently (and really what kind of a name is Stiles?), although Derek would have rather referred to him as the obnoxious kid, just rolled his eyes dismissively at Kate. “I’m sorry, did I offend the first year idiot who couldn’t be bothered to just take a bloody seat? My bad.”

  
The cocky kid next to him snorted before pulling a book out of his bag.

  
Derek squared his shoulders, and was about to show this punk exactly how much it was his bad when the door to the compartment swung upon with a bang. Everyone in the room jumped a couple inches from their seat.

  
“Have any of you seen a toad?” A girl with puffy brown hair stood at the entrance, her nose high in the air and clearly unperturbed by the tension in the room.

  
When it looked like the girl was about to speak again, Derek heard Laura exhale. “Come on, Derek,” she muttered, grabbing him by the arm. They both cast one last look around the compartment (Kate smirking, the other three reading) before brushing past the girl and down the hall to find somewhere else to sit.

  
“What the hell was that, Derek?” Laura hissed, digging her (thankfully, clawless) fingers into his arm. Even still, her werewolf strength was more than enough to make even him cringe.  
“What do you mean?” He hissed back. “It was that stupid kid’s fault! He banged into me!”

  
“Maybe if you hadn’t been too busy drooling over Kate bloody Argent he wouldn’t have banged into you!” She growled, a snarl pulling her lip up at the mention of Kate.

  
“Why are you defending him?” Derek shot back. “What? Is he your buddy? Because I’m pretty sure his robe said he was in Slytherin!”

  
“So is Kate! And I’m not defending him!” Laura snapped before glancing down the train’s hall to two girls who were clearly eavesdropping. She sighed, grabbed his arm and tugged him through a compartment door containing the recognizable Weasley twins and a boy with dreadlocks. They were obviously transfixed by whatever spell they were doing, which appeared to involve doubling one of the twin’s ears in size, and didn’t even look up when the Hale siblings collapsed on a bench. “I just don’t think this is how you want to start off your first day at Hogwarts! Stiles, Lydia and Jackson are all second year Slytherins! They’re the top of their grade so I don’t think you want to make them your enemies!”

  
“I don’t have a problem with the other two!” Derek argued. “It’s just the annoying one!”

  
“And Kate Argent,” Laura continued, ignoring Derek’s protests, “is quite possibly the worst person to have a crush on. And not just because she’s a Slytherin. Avoid her.”

  
Derek glared at her before hunching over in his seat for a proper sulk. The three others in the compartment seemed to have finally noticed Derek and Laura having finished blowing up one of the twins’ ears like an elephant’s.

  
“Buck up, kid,” laughed the normal-sized ear twin. “This year’s going to be brilliant!”

  
“How could it not be?” the elephant eared twin asked rhetorically, “Harry Potter’s coming to Hogwarts!”

 

* * *

 

It was Stiles’s second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and he was anxious.

  
He knew he was acting jumpy, even jumpier than usual, but he couldn’t help it. Before dropping him off at the Whittemore Manor, his alpha had gripped him by the back of his neck. While this wasn’t exactly atypical behavior for the werewolf, Stiles had been thrown off by the vicious toothy grin on the man’s face.

  
“Get ready, pup,” he’d snarled, “this year, thing’s are gonna change. And you’re finally gonna be of some use.”

  
The alpha had sounded positively giddy and if there was one thing Stiles knew, is that anything that made Alpha happy was almost guaranteed to ruin Stiles’s life. So who can blame him for quivering in his dragonskin boots?

  
However, it appeared Stiles would need to calm down a bit judging by the looks Jackson and Lydia were throwing him. The two usually couldn’t be bothered to stop admiring themselves or snarking back and forth, so for Stiles to actually draw attention meant he had moved past his typical squirrelliness to the dangerous level of chipmunk quivering.

  
“Cool it, Stilinski.” Jackson grunted and jabbed him in the stomach with an unfairly muscular elbow for a second year student. Even though Stiles was blessed with werewolf strength didn’t mean the elbow didn’t hurt!

  
To show his indignation, Stiles countered by stomping on Jackson’s toes. Jackson let out a quiet whine before flashing him the copyrighted Jackson glare. Stiles had faced this glare before. He wasn’t scared.

  
“Jackson, stop aggravating him. And Stiles stop jumping like a baby. I won’t hesitate to body bind you two together.” Lydia declared while admiring her reflection in the train’s window. Stiles was usually not a fan of vanity in any form but how could he begrudge the beautiful Lydia for being just as obsessed with her face as he was?

  
Jackson scoffed. “They don’t teach body binding ‘til fourth year.”

  
Lydia gave him her coolest look, which, Stiles gleefully noted, was usually reserved for Stiles. “I learned it over the summer. Clearly you’ve been slacking.”

  
“Tch,” Jackson turned up his nose at her. Lydia returned the gesture.

  
Stiles sighed, and grabbed their hands to pull them further down the train’s hall. The two had always had a high intensity relationship. It seems they were currently in the midst of a cool period. Nevertheless, their childish banter had served the purpose of soothing Stiles’s nerves, proof that arguing can be healthy. This gave Stiles hope that despite Alpha’s ominous warning, Hogwarts could once again be a safe haven from his less than delightful home-life. At least he wouldn’t constantly have his neck snagged in another werewolf’s claws.

  
As Stiles lead them further down the train, Lydia allowed herself to quit acting superior for a moment in order to check on him. “Really, though, Stiles. Is everything alright?”

  
Stiles leaned close to her and quietly said, “He’s getting excited. Something’s gonna happen this year.”

  
“What is?” Jackson asked, similarly distracted from his commitment to being a prat.

  
“Oh I’m sure it’ll be something fantastic! Maybe he’s buying me an adorable little kitten!” Stiles mockingly suggested before sighing. “I don’t know. But apparently it involves me. He just freaked me out, guys. I’m fine now that we’re off to Hogwarts.”

  
Lydia and Jackson traded a worried glance before nodding at him. Lydia squeezed his hand while Jackson jabbed him in the ribs again (this time in a friendly way). The three traded small Slytherin-approved smirks before continuing the search to find a free compartment. They were just about to enter an empty one when Stiles’s werewolf ears caught the sound of two girls’ chatter.

  
“Wasn’t that Laura Hale going into Kate Argent’s compartment?” One was whispering.

  
“How strange!” remarked the other, “I was convinced they hated each other!”

  
“Me too! But did you see her little brother? He’s pretty cute for a first year. I’ll bet he’s going to be gorgeous when he grows up!”

  
Stiles froze in the doorway of the compartment making both his friends glance at him weirdly with clearly questioning gazes. He shook his head at them before once again tugging them in the opposite direction, towards where he had heard the two girls whispering. He threw open their compartment door making them gasp in surprise.

  
It was two third year Hufflepuffs and they were clearly furious that three younger Slytherins would dare barge in on them. However, their natural Hufflepuff friendliness prevented them from calling Stiles out on his behavior.

  
“Where’s Argent’s compartment?” He demanded, knowing Lydia and Jackson were giving him disbelieving looks.

  
“….two doors down,” One of the girls finally managed to get out, eyes bugging out from under her bangs.

  
Stiles nodded before swiftly exiting the compartment and storming through the compartment in question. He felt himself bang shoulders with someone a couple inches taller than him who was standing in the doorway but let his Slytherin façade take over. It was time to be what Alpha wanted him to be. When he had taken his seat he finally allowed himself to glance around the room.  
Kate was flashing him a look of clear annoyance before trying to mask her face into something deceptively sweet. Laura was looking at him with barely veiled relief while the boy he had bumped, most likely her brother, was glaring at him. Whatever, kid. Stiles was only saving him from the venomous bitch known as Kate Argent.

  
What followed was some of the best acting Stiles had done to date. He believed he had pulled off the spoiled, arrogant Slytherin quite well, and going by how red Laura’s brother was by the end of their argument he was apparently pretty convincing. He secretly thanked Jackson for being his muse. However, once the Hales had finally been ushered out by the bushy haired first year, Stiles let himself deflate a couple inches in relief.

  
“You just had to spoil all my fun, didn’t you Stiles?” Kate cooed at him teasingly, but he could tell that the annoyance on her face was all real.

  
“What the hell, Kate?” Stiles growled. “You know you’re not supposed to engage with the Hales!”

  
Kate curled her lip at him. “I’m not supposed to do anything! Those are the stupid rules of your Alpha. Considering I’m no slobbering mutt, I don’t have to listen to him.”

  
Lydia let out a biting laugh that made Kate glare at her. “Oh, please. We all know that rule isn’t Stiles’s Alpha’s.”

  
“Yea, Katherine,” Jackson sneered, “I had no idea you were so against the orders of the Dark Lord’s highest council! Wait, isn’t your father a part of it?”

  
Kate flashed her angry eyes at him before turning in her seat towards the window and very clearly ignoring them. Stiles rolled his eyes at her childish behavior before turning to his two best friends. They all nodded at one another.

  
They’d have to keep an eye on Kate Argent this year.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek encounters the Sorting Hat

Derek had mostly recovered from his pouting by the time he had crossed the lake with the other first years. His brightened mood most likely had to do with the excitement of being in the midst of a celebrity, although none of his fellow first years looked particularly famous. However, the privilege of being a peer of Harry Potter was nothing to scoff at.

Following the severe professor McGonagall down the winding hallways of the magnificent castle, Derek had found himself stepping on the heels of one of his neighbors when he had been busy gaping at a moving painting. The boy he had kicked let out a low “oof” before pitching forwards. Derek instinctively used his overly fast werewolf senses to snatch the boy up before he fell to his knees.

“So sorry!” Derek apologized, “I was distracted just now! Are you ok?”

The boy turned to him with a pleasant and easygoing smile. “No harm done!”

“I really am sorry.” Derek grunted, cursing his awkwardness.

The boy just waved his hand. “I’m quite clumsy so it’s no problem. I get even clumsier when I’m excited and this is all brand new for me! Is it new for you, as well? Or have you always known about magic? I’m Scott!”

“Derek,” he answered, “and I’ve always known. I’m a pureblood.”

Scott smiled and nodded before an altercation appeared to be breaking out in front of them. Their little conversation had landed them at the back of the first year pack and now they craned their heads to get a better look at what was going on up front.

Derek recognized the slick blond head of Draco Malfoy. He could practically hear Uncle Peter’s grumbling. The Malfoys were even older than the Hales and had the reputation for being just as snooty as they were dark. Peter had always stressed the importance of thoroughly hating all Malfoys without exception.

Draco appeared to be disparaging a redhead, a Weasley no doubt. Considering this was hardly a rare sight, Derek began to zone out before immediately snapping back to focus when Malfoy seemed to mention Harry Potter. The first years quickly broke out into excited whispers that effectively covered up the sound of said celebrity’s next words. Derek was even more disappointed to note that he was only given the view of the back of Potter’s head. How dull.

Before either Derek or Scott could even think of pushing their way towards the front, McGonagall appeared once again and ushered them into the glowing Great Hall. It was overwhelming to be suddenly faced with the eyes of hundreds of students, all of them older, in addition to the beauty of the topless ceiling and floating candles. Derek felt as if he was walking on air as he dazedly followed his classmates towards the front of the Hall where an ugly black hat was perched atop a stool.

As soon as the hat began to sing, Derek immediately began searching the crowd for familiar faces. He quickly spotted Laura’s proud, if a little smug, face from where she sat amongst her best friends in Gryffindor. They all appeared to be giggling at him. He scowled at her before zeroing in on the Slytherin table.

Kate Argent was looking just as perfect as before, with her lips pulled into a sophisticated smile. Admirers once again surrounded her and Derek wished that she would grace him with a smile. Although she made no move to do so, one consolation was that the obnoxious kid (Stiles was it?) wasn’t sitting anywhere near her. He was slumped over several yards away across from the two he had seen in the compartment.

Stiles, unlike Kate, did look at him then. Derek glared at him with more than enough heat but was surprised when he wasn’t answered with a similar snarl. Instead, the older boy just screwed his mouth to the side as if he was upset about something before looking down to his hands.

Well, whatever. He was still an ass.

Derek paid a little more attention when the sorting actually began and held his breath in anticipation until they finally called his name. Scott patted him on the back reassuringly as he stalked his way towards the stool.

The hat’s deep voice in his ear made him shiver and it immediately began to chuckle as if Derek’s deepest thoughts were amusing. “Ah. Another Hale” It chuckled. “Wolves are notoriously loyal, perhaps a little ambitious and most certainly brave.”

Derek internally glowered, an expression that was, knowing him, most likely reflected on his face. Derek didn’t like hearing these options. His uncle, Peter, had always gone on about how there was only one house for Hales. Of course his parents had said they would be supportive no matter where he was but he knew they secretly hoped that he would share the Gryffindor namesake. Hell, even he wanted to share in the Gryffindor namesake. Any other house and Laura would never let him live it down.

This eagerness may have been heard by the patronizing cap atop his head because his ears were instantly flooded with the bellowed, “GRYFFINDOR!”

The hat was lifted from his forehead and he could hear cheers go up from the Gryffindor table. His sister, he could tell, was giving him an only partially mocking standing ovation. He blushed, and embarrassedly glowered at the floor as he marched his way towards his new house in relief.

As soon as he took his spot at the furthest end of the table, he couldn’t help but risk a glance at the Slytherin table. Kate was staring at him with her chin in one of the palms of her hand. She made a teasing pout at him before wiggling her fingers in his direction.

His face went bright red and he risked a small wave back before movement caught his attention from further down her table. It was Stiles’ head swinging in Kate’s direction. He was staring at her intently, his eyes narrowed.

Derek glowered at the obvious display of competition. Well, tough luck, he thought. Derek was already three inches taller than Stiles and he was a whole year younger!

“McCall, Scott!” McGonagall’s cry made Derek pivot to the front. Out of the corner of his eye he could see that Malfoy was already smugly sitting among his Slytherin cronies, no surprise there. Scott, though, was carefully perched atop the stool, his small, frail body hunched over and dwarfed by the giant hat. There was minimal debate before the hat rang out. “HUFFLEPUFF!”

Derek clapped politely for Scott, slightly disappointed that his new friend wouldn’t turn into his new housemate, but he was still happy for the incredibly kind boy.

His disappointment soon passed when Harry Potter, himself, was sorted into Gryffindor. Derek also got his very first look at the boy (unfortunately rather normal) at dinner. Harry Potter seemed to be attached at the hip with the Weasley kid but Derek didn’t mind. It was cool enough to even be in the same house together.

After that, dinner went pretty darn well for Derek. He felt like he was on top of the world. He was in the house he was supposed to be. His sister looked proud of him. Harry Potter was his classmate.

And, thought Derek, he was totally going to get Kate Argent to love him. Yup. Derek’s first day at Hogwarts was going pretty damn well.

 

* * *

 

It was official. Stiles’s first day back at Hogwarts was going pretty damn horribly.

Besides the catastrophic fact that the Hogwarts dinner gods had somehow decided that Stiles wouldn’t be served his favorite rice pudding for dessert, Stiles had just realized exactly what his alpha had been so excited about.

Harry _fucking_ Potter.

Stiles groaned loudly and considered slamming his face straight into his (chocolate, not rice) pudding. A stern glare from Princess Lydia herself had him quickly straightening in his seat.

“Stop moaning, Stilinski. You sound like a damn harpy.” Jackson said archly while daintily cutting into one of his treats.

Stiles threw him a baleful scowl that he hoped contained every bit of misery, fury and distaste he felt for Jackson at the moment. Given Jackson’s casual eye roll, it was unlikely he had succeeded.

“I’m sorry,” Stiles apologized sarcastically, “but was I the only one who just saw Harry _fucking_ Potter get sorted into Gryffindor? Because if so, please just say the word and I will go through any kind of invasive magical therapy you have in mind! No problemo! I’ll sign myself up because these are not the kind of hallucinations I really want to be having as long as I’m supposed to be following the Dark Lord!”

“Lower your voice, you idiot!” Lydia hissed and sent him a stinging hex under the table.

 Stiles cursed and rubbed his stung shin. “Oh, please. Like everyone in this whole bloody school doesn’t already know where we stand.”

“Just because they think they know doesn’t mean you have to prove it to them.” Lydia remarked smartly before glaring off any surrounding Slytherins who may have been eavesdropping.

“Yea, Stilinski,” Jackson goaded, “you’re killing our ‘rep!”

Stiles let himself snort good-naturedly. “Anything I do or say would be an improvement to your shining reputation, Whittemore.”

“But really, Stiles,” Lydia continued, “it’s not like your alpha can make you do anything about Potter. We’ll just keep our heads down like last year.”

“That’s gonna be pretty hard with Duchess Argent over there trying to perv on Laura Hale’s kid brother.” Stiles accused. “She’s been making eyes at him all dinner!”

“How is that our problem?” Jackson growled. “Shouldn’t it be his older sister making sure Argent doesn’t get into his pants?”

Lydia and Stiles both gave him the same unimpressed look that had Jackson tearing into a loaf of bread with his perfect incisors.

“Please, Jackson, try not to be so naïve.” Lydia scolded. “I refuse to have an idiot for a boyfriend.”

Jackson reddened and Stiles raised one questioning eyebrow. “So you’ve decided to get together, then? How long will it last this time?”

“Butt out, Stilinski!” Jackson shrieked. “Why don’t you get your own romantic life!”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “We’re only second years. I’ve got plenty of time.”

“Remember saying that when you’re Dumbledore’s age and still haven’t had a date.” Jackson said with a smirk.

“I’ve seen you talking with Laura Hale before.” Lydia pointed out. “Besides the fact that she’s a Gryffindor, she’s more than worth your time. Why don’t you try and ask her out?”

Stiles frowned. “Laura and I aren’t like that. Besides the fact that I’m not exactly supposed to be seen in public with Hales, our relationship is more of a … truce. Or maybe like a contract?”

“A contract?” Jackson repeated scornfully. “You’re definitely going to die old and alone. You’re lucky you’re not a squib or else you should be planning to take over for Filch.”

“Stiles couldn’t be Filch.” Lydia declared.

“Thank you, Lydia!” Stiles beamed before sending a quick glare to Jackson. “I knew I didn’t just love you for your beautiful face!”

“Stiles couldn’t be Filch because he’s allergic to cats.” Lydia finished with a satisfied smirk. Jackson made doe eyes at his “girlfriend’s” brutality and Stiles once again considered face-planting in his (still not rice) pudding.

Yes. Stiles’s first day back at Hogwarts was going pretty damn horribly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First flying lesson!

Derek would have liked to say that the first few weeks of classes go out without a hitch but that would be bald-faced lie. Snape hated him (although he definitely hated Potter more), he thinks he might have insulted Flitwick’s height, and McGonagall kept giving him the side eye. Derek thinks that might be her inner cat reacting to his inner dog.

However, finally, _finally_ , Derek had the ability to impress a few people. The first flying lesson. Derek’s talents had always been more in the athletic category. He was practically jumping with excitement as Madame Hooch gives the order to mount their brooms. So when Longbottom made his disastrous mistake, Derek’s disappointment was more than obvious.

Now, Derek knew that he’s not supposed to call attention to his flying ability. Anything athletic can be pinned to his lupine nature and that is honestly the last thing he wants. But how can he not show off just a little? He was in the middle of his competitive peers and he knows he spotted Kate Argent sitting on the grass with her friends not too far off. Plus, stupid Stilinski is also hanging around the Pitch. This would be the perfect time to leave the kid behind in the dust.

So can Laura really blame him if he immediately joins Harry and Malfoy in the air even after the flying instructor had warned against it? Well. She probably would but there’s no turning back now!

It felt soooo good in the air, even with Malfoy’s sneering face hovering nearby. He could hear the excited awes from the kids below, Scott among them. The boy was looking up at him with both pride and concern and Derek planned on wiping the worry straight from his puppy-dog face.

Besides, he had a girl to impress.

 

* * *

 

Stiles can honestly say that trying to keep Derek Hale alive is one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do. And, honestly, if Stiles wasn’t certain that his alpha would literally rip his esophagus from his neck should one of the Dark Lord’s desired allies’ sons die on his watch, he would have given up the moment he saw the kid get on a broom. Because of course the kid goes chasing after Malfoy and Potter even when there’s no teacher around. To think otherwise would have been naïve.

Stiles was groaning and cursing as he raced out to the pitch to where the smarter, safer, and all around better first years have gathered to watch the show. He can’t help his furious glare when he sees Hale’s tiny body darting around, tossing some ball thing back and forth with Potter. He does his best to look disapproving when the others start to cheer and chant his name. Stupid kids.

Stiles knows that he can’t physically, or magically, do anything at this moment. Derek’s flying, unlike his interactions with Kate, cannot be controlled. As such, Stiles can really do nothing more than sit back and watch the show, and be prepared to catch anyone who falls. His front row seat, however, lets him view a different kind of action as well.

“Hey, hey!” A big Gryffindor was laughing. “What kind of a wizard has asthma? I thought that was a muggle disease!”  
His friend laughed along. “Bet you can’t even get a spell out, can you, McCall? Probably too busy gasping for air!”  
The two were addressing a shorter boy with tan skin and dark hair dressed in Hufflepuff robes. The boy wasn’t fighting back and instead has his robes fisted in his clenched hands. Stiles had apparently become the patron of all victimized first years so he found himself stepping forward.

“Well, looky here! A couple of brave Gryffindorks out to intimidate the masses!” He crowed. The two instantly froze, recognizing him as someone older and considerably creepier than them.

“Why can’t you two play well with others? Do you have a complex? Maybe your mum loved your older brother more? Or is this compensation for something else? Something a little more _personal_?” Stiles pretended to leer. Having spent several years around his alpha, he certainly knew what a good old-fashioned leer looked like.

“We weren’t talking to you, snake.” One of them declared threateningly and took a step forward. Stiles made sure to position himself in front of the Hufflepuff boy who was regarding him with eyes that could have made glaciers melt.

The other Gryffindor quickly grabbed the first one’s arm, halting his movement. “Mate, that’s Stilinski. Just let it go.”

His friend soon started to pale and Stiles grinned in satisfaction. While he wished his reputation wasn’t as gross as it was, sometimes it didn’t hurt to have a little fear factor. He shooed them away as they shuffled towards a different part of the pack.

“You ok?” Stiles asked, turning back towards the scared first year.

The kid nodded about six hundred times before realizing that if he kept at it he would most likely be the newest edition to Nearly Headless Nick’s club. “Yea… yea.. I-yea. Thanks.” He finally managed to get out. “I’m Scott.”

Stiles gave him a nod. “I’m Stiles. Dude. You really don’t have to thank me. Those guys were turds. Niceness is priceless. Meanness is a sign of weakness. Well. And all that jazz.”

Scott shook his head earnestly. “No, really! I truly appreciate it!”

“No problem, Scott.” Stiles said after a moment of consideration. He glanced over to see the crowd stampeding towards Potter and Hale who were touching down. The two seemed to be bonding over their manly display of idiotic athleticism judging by the way they appeared to be heartily exchanging back slaps. Whatever. Go ahead and kill yourself on the glorious pursuit of becoming a jock, Hale. Go right ahead.

“I should probably go congratulate him, I guess.” Scott said awkwardly.

Stiles waved him away, receiving a dozen more thank you’s in the process before making his way back to where Jackson and Lydia had been watching him with the interest of those at the movie theater.

“Feeling refreshed now that you’ve saved another innocent life?” Lydia inquired sarcastically.

Stiles couldn’t help but track the way Kate Argent’s eyes were still glued to Hale. He let out a long breath. “Not quite.”

 

* * *

 

The next few weeks wavered between absolutely fantastic and completely miserable for Derek. On the one hand, McGonagall had gotten him and Harry on the Gryffindor Quidditch team despite being only first years. The infamous Oliver Wood had even commended his abilities, and Derek was now being trained to be a Chaser by the Quidditch addict.

The position had promoted Derek to celebrity status among the underclassmen. Derek was thrilled that he could be known as “the first year who is super good at Quidditch” rather than just “Laura Hale’s awkward little brother”. It was a tremendous boost to his confidence.

However, the position came with downsides. For one, Laura had chewed him out for half an hour and even threatened to alert his parents that Derek was exploiting his werewolf traits. Of course, his parents had found out anyways, as all parents seem to, and sent him a note that was more lecture than encouragement about playing down his reflexes. They seemed to forgive him, which was nice. But Laura was definitely ignoring him in a fit of righteous fury.

Anyways it wasn’t like being a werewolf really helped him on the broom. He couldn’t _command_ the broom to go faster with his eyes. Even his strength was a bit diluted as a result of the wolfsbane tables he was taking to hold off the effects of the full moon. Sure he might be a bit stronger than the average kid, but it wasn’t like he was able to wolf out at any given moment during a match.

Another unfortunate downside to the position was that Derek’s free time was now being completely monopolized by Quidditch practice. This meant a significant decrease in his allotted time for pining for Kate Argent.

Which was an awful blow to Derek’s romantic plans. Especially because Kate hadn’t simply thrown herself at him in front of everyone in the Great Hall when news came out about his position on the team. Whatever. It wasn’t like Derek had spent hours picturing the scene. That would have been pathetic.

Anyways, Derek was now left with minimal mooning time which was mostly spent worrying about the progress of Derek’s number one enemy: Stiles Stilinski.

That was also something that had developed in recent weeks. Stilinski and him had more than a few run-ins in the winding corridors of Hogwarts. One time while he was in the middle of making eyes with Kate before Transfiguration, Stilinski had sent him a Trip Jinx. Derek was saved from face-planting only by the unfortunate placement of McGonagall in her animagus form.

Ever since then, Stiles had somehow gotten the majority of the Slytherin first and second years to meow when they passed him.

Derek had responded in kind. He’d spelled a pair of ginger tabby ears onto the top of Stiles’s head in the Great Hall.

What had followed was a series of escalating immature pranks that mostly consisted of ensuring the humiliation of the opponent. There were more than a few cases of oozing boils, swollen tongues and blue hair. But Derek stayed true to the principle that all was fair in love and war. Their war had brought enough attention to them in that there was no way the professors hadn’t noticed. However, they seemed to be content with allowing the two stubborn boys to tire each other out with juvenile mischief until it came to the point that a person was actually put in harm’s way.

Derek was more than ok with this. Stilinski was dead.

One day after practice, when Derek was lounging in the locker room with the rest of the Quidditch team, his commitment to the war was brought up by the Weasley twins.

“Well, Hale,” one of the twins started, “who knew you had it in you?”

“We all thought you’d be as much of a stick in the mud as your sister!” The other exclaimed. “But Stilinski has certainly brought out the best in you!”

“All it’s brought out is his immaturity!” Alicia remarked.

Both twins stared at her blankly. “Exactly!” They exclaimed together.

Alicia just rolled her eyes. “But really, Hale! What has Stilinski done to bring on this epic war?”

Derek shrugged. “We just started off badly. He was a right arse on the train ride over.”

“Stilinski’s always a right arse!” Angelina pointed out. “He hasn’t exactly got a shining reputation.”

“Angelina’s right!” Alicia agreed. “He’s pretty much as dark as they come. A real Death Eater in the making! I mean he stays with the Whittemores over summer break and you don’t get much worse than them!”

“Plus there are all of those stories about him!” Angelina cried out. “People say he’s some sort of Creature! I remember he practically attacked that poor Hufflepuff girl last year! He was like a monster!”

“I’m pretty sure that’s just a rumor.” Katie laughed. “Stilinski hasn’t got it in him!”

“It’s not!” Angelina insisted. “I saw him right after! He looked like he was prepared to eat someone’s head straight off their body! That kid’s deranged! You should stay away from him, Hale.”

Derek nodded thoughtfully but couldn’t truly agree. Stilinski had always seemed to be annoying, obnoxious and at least a little bit sadistic. But he’d never shown signs of violence. Just typical Slytherin sneakiness.

“You’ve chosen a great one to have a prank war with, Hale!” One of the twins laughed. “Just be careful he doesn’t run to his Death Eater family!”

“That’d be a bit awkward!” The other twin chuckled.

“Yes, it would.” Wood interrupted. They all jumped, not used to him participating in any conversations not directly related to Quidditch. “Then we’d have to find a new Chaser.”

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles knew there was a better way to prevent Derek from falling for Kate. But how could he help himself? The kid was a major prat. Besides. He’d rather have Derek so focused on hating him if it meant that he’d have no time to moon over Kate Argent. Fair trade in Stiles’s opinion.

Kate had made more than a few attempts to get close to the first year. She’d tried cornering him in the library, waiting for him outside of his classes and on one memorable occasion, she even attempted to follow him into the boy’s lavatory. Stiles had expelled her from the toilets by making all the sinks explode. Derek just happened to be washing his hands at the time.

At one point Stiles had nearly taken pity on the kid. Derek hadn’t exactly asked for a psychopathic stalker, nor Stiles’s peculiar brand of protection. But honestly, Stiles figured the kid would rather be walking around with blue hair and orange freckles than be buried in the ground.

So, really, Stiles was the true hero. Unfortunately, Derek, along with the majority of the school would most likely never see it that way. But Stiles would play the role of unappreciated hero if it meant saving himself from his alpha’s rage if anything ever really did happen to the Hale kid. That had always been a rule. The Hales were not to be touched.

His alpha understood that to hurt a Hale would basically be starting a pack war, something the Dark seriously couldn’t afford right now, not since the Dark Lord had disappeared. Besides, that had always been an order from the Dark Lord, who had always held onto hope that the Hales would let go of their neutrality and join him. The Hales going dark wouldn’t have even been all that surprising given the frankly awful way the Light treated werewolves. Stiles had heard that they still used an archaic form of wolfsbane that made users sick and didn’t even prevent the full moon shift. The Hales seemed healthy enough so they were most likely on the same tablets Stiles took. But the fact that Dumbledore, himself, would allow wolves to continue taking a medication that essentially rendered them invalid was ridiculous.

Still, though, the fact that Kate was ignoring this rule was not only worrisome, it was possibly life threatening. Thus, Stiles would continue this childish war of chicken until the end of time if it meant keeping him and his friends safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for the kudos and comments! Much appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween! And Quidditch! Wow!

Halloween was fantastic at Hogwarts. Everything seemed warm and bright and sweet. Derek could only remember one time when he had had this much fun on Halloween. It was back when he was hardly more than a pup and Halloween had lined up with the full moon for once. The whole pack had been in such high spirits that night and after the night was over his mother had let them eat as many treats as they wanted before passing out together in the living room.

But this Halloween, Derek felt just as nice. This Halloween, Derek felt normal, surrounded by a different sort of pack, a Gryffindor pack of some of the best people in the world, all laughing and shrieking and chanting Anti-Slytherin chants (which were more than reciprocated by Stilinski and his goons).

Derek was so caught up in the festivities that his wolf senses didn’t even pick up the entrance of Quirrel before everyone had already gone silent at the man’s wails.

“Trolls! In the dungeon!” The man screamed before muttering something and slumping over. The entire room was suddenly a flurry of frantic movement and noise.

Derek was entirely thankful for the wolfsbane diluter his parents had forced on him and Laura as he was convinced it was probably the only thing keeping his claws from coming out and his eyes from glowing brightly. As it was, he instinctively searched out Laura’s own panicked face before his wolf was capable of settling.

Dumbledore’s calm orders also helped to qualm the beast that was raging inside of Derek and he allowed himself to numbly fall into the habit of following orders, trailing out of the Great Hall uncertainly behind Ron and Harry. Even though he was feeling a little out of it, he still managed to pick up on their conversation.

“-Hermione’s not here!” Harry was whispering furiously. “She doesn’t know about the troll!”

Immediately the two took off in the complete opposite direction they were meant to be going. Derek watched them flee with wide eyes before he felt a presence to his side.

It was Kate and it was clear that she had also heard Ron and Harry’s discussion. Her lips curled up as her beautiful eyes narrowed challengingly. Derek gulped as she jerked her chin in their direction.

Now, Derek was no pup. He definitely knew a dare when he saw one. He also knew that his dad had spent many years doing daring things in order to get his mother’s attention. It was how wolves communicated their intentions. Acts of chivalry. And it doesn’t get more chivalrous than facing a giant troll.

With his stomach dragging somewhere near his ankles, Derek squared his shoulders and nodded once towards Kate before marching in the direction Ron and Harry had gone.

He only managed to get down one corridor before he was jerked back by a firm, but small, hand on his shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Stiles had been absolutely positive that his job couldn’t have gotten anymore difficult with trying to keep a kid alive who seemed hell bent on killing himself. But, honestly, Derek going after a troll for most likely the worst reason in the entire history of the universe definitely took the cake.

Stiles had only had time to flash Kate the most vehement glare he could possibly muster and give Lydia a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder (one which she quickly brushed off as if his hands had skrewt juice on them) before sprinting off in the direction Derek had bone-headedly stomped to.

He grabbed a handful of Derek’s robe and pulled with all his suppressed werewolf strength. “Hey, asshole!” Stiles called. “I think you’re a bit lost!”

Derek turned to him quickly. He was clearly attempting to look intimidating but Stiles was no idiot. He saw the guilty relief on the kid’s face. The kid’s stupidly cute face. Stiles. Stop. Discussion for another time.

“Don’t call me that.” Derek muttered. “And I’m not lost.”

“Oh, really?” Stiles asked sarcastically. “I guess I had just forgotten that Dumbledore decided to do some remodeling. Of course the Gryffindor common rooms are now in the dungeons! How on earth could I have forgotten? Oh wait! That’s all bullshit!”

Derek growled and maybe Stiles should have chosen a different route for this conversation because his beloved sarcasm seemed to be encouraging Derek to continue this hopeless quest rather than the opposite. “Shut up. I’m not going to the common rooms. There’s something I need to do.”

“And by something I expect you mean get killed by a hungry troll.” Stiles offered drily.

“No.” Derek jutted his chin out like a little boy. “I’m going to kill it.”

Stiles burst out laughing. He couldn’t help but cringe inwardly at how callous it sounded. But whatever. Derek had forced him to be the evil villain. He could play the evil villain. No problem.

“I am!” Derek exclaimed. “And you only want to stop me because you don’t want to look like a coward in comparison!”

Stiles snorted again. “Please! I’ll look like a genius in comparison to you when you stupidly get yourself sat on by a bloody troll! Death by troll butt is what they’ll write on your grave!”

“No, I’m right.” Derek turned his nose up and latching onto this insult. “You don’t want to look like a coward in front of Kate. You’re afraid that she’ll be so impressed with me that she’ll forget all about you.”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “Why the hell would I care what Kate thinks of me? And even if she does think I’m a coward, so what? At least I’ll be alive. I’ll be alive and awesome, living an awesome life and awesomely living.”

Derek seemed to have tuned out towards the end of Stiles rambling because he was giving him this confused puppy dog look that Stiles really shouldn’t find unfairly endearing and adorable. “What? But you – Kate –”

“Derek!” They both spun around to see Laura hurrying in their direction looking about one misplaced wolfsbane tablet away from going all furry beast on their asses. She sprinted up before pulling Derek into a desperate hug.

“Laura?” Derek asked confusedly. She pulled back and socked him straight in the arm. It looked pretty deadly and Stiles couldn’t help but wince just by being a witness. Girl’s got an arm.

“What the hell is wrong with you, you big idiot?” Laura snarled. “I was freaking out! Why the hell didn’t you just go back to the common room?”

“I wanted to …” Derek trailed off. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for your stupid ass! I swear I can’t keep my eye off of you for one single second!” Laura exclaimed.

Stiles found himself nodding in commiseration without even realizing it. Laura seemed to notice the movement and glanced his way the first time. Her eyes immediately widened and Stiles could see her jaw clench.

“Stiles.” She said.

He nodded back to her and tried for superiority. “Laura.”

Derek frowned and looked back and forth between them suspiciously. “You guys know each other?”

Laura nodded slowly. “Yea, I know Stiles.” She cut herself off from saying more by snapping her head back to glare at Derek. “But that doesn’t matter! March, little brother! We’re going to the common room where we were supposed to be this whole time!” Laura spared Stiles a quick if closed off glance. “You should go too, Stiles.”

Stiles gave her a nod, ignored Derek’s suspicious glances and started his way back to the Slytherin common room now that he was convinced Laura had the Derek Situation well under hand. Hopefully the prefects hadn’t noticed he was missing.

           

* * *

  

After the Failed Troll Experiment (colloquially known as the FTE), Derek spent a lot of time thinking about Stilinski.

Not in a weird, romantic, gushy way, though. All of Derek’s limited gushiness was most definitely reserved for Kate. No question. But Derek thought about Stilinski in a considering way, the way one puzzles over a confusing arithmancy problem. Moments with Stilinski and rumors about the Slytherin simply didn’t add up.

So, Derek considered the facts.

  1. Stiles is an asshole. Like a grade-A prat-faced asshole. An expert in the assholian arts. That was firmly established within seconds of their meeting and Derek had no desire to even begin contesting this fact.
  2. Stiles is a Slytherin. And not just any Slytherin. Based on the rumors Derek had heard, Stiles was one of the darkest kids at Hogwarts. Apparently Stilinski was destined to be a Death Eater, even without a Dark Lord around to rule him. Derek couldn’t help finding this odd, however. For as devious the kid could be, Derek couldn’t exactly picture him using the Cruciatus curse on anyone. If anything, he would probably torture someone through the force of the longest conversation known to man.
  3. Stiles didn’t want Derek to die. Now this was just plain confusing. Why wouldn’t Stilinski want serious harm to befall on Derek? Weren’t they sworn enemies? What’s the point of having a sworn enemy if you didn’t want them dead? That’s what friends are for! And Stilinski certainly was not Derek’s friend.
  4. Stiles didn’t like Kate. This was perhaps the most confusing of all the confusing facts. Derek had figured that Stiles was so desperate to get between Derek and Kate because Stiles had some weird crush on Kate, even if he hardly ever showed affection for her. Why in Merlin’s name would Stiles spend so much time trying to get Kate’s attention from Derek if he didn’t want her? Was he really just that much of an asshole? Maybe. But things still didn’t add up.



It was only because of Derek’s confusion at this conundrum that he allowed himself to snort out a laugh when on the morning of the Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch game, Stilinski streaked through the Great Hall with his body painted entirely green and silver. Normally Derek would roll his eyes or scowl at the blatant display of Stilinski ridiculousness. But for some reason, that morning it was almost refreshing to see the Slytherin was his typical obnoxious self, especially considering how nervous Derek was.

Unfortunately, his secretive snort did not go unnoticed and he actually caught the attention of the redheaded girl Derek always saw following Stilinski around. Derek had heard Hermione wax poetry about her enough times to recognize the strawberry blonde as the infamous Lydia Martin, who had the best grades in Second Year.

Derek also knew that most of the school was confused by Lydia Martin’s insistence on hanging out with Stilinski and Jackson Whittemore, as both were considered future Death Eaters whereas her family was notoriously neutral. Lydia had never deigned to respond to their curiosity.

Anyways, this was the first time Derek had been assaulted by the full force of Lydia Martin’s intelligent gaze. Her green eyes snapped to his in a calculating way at the sound of his chuckling.

“Something funny, Hale?” She asked. Normally the phrase would seem pretty intimidating but the way Lydia said it, it sounded like she was genuinely asking in order to solve some sort of riddle.

“Just Stilinski acting like the idiot he is.” Derek replied, trying to include some convincing sneering in his tone.

Her lips twitched as she turned back to Stilinski, who was now leading a group of terrified Slytherin first years through a complicated chant. Even Draco Malfoy seemed intimidated enough by the sheer force of _Stiles_ that he could be seen participating. The professors looked on with bemused glances except for Snape, who looked pained to see one of this own snakes behaving in such a manner.

“That he is.” Lydia agreed with a smirk.

“What’s he so excited about?” Derek questioned. “It’s not like he’s on the team.”

Lydia shrugged casually, and yet still made the gesture look like a practiced and graceful movement. “Stiles is always Slytherin’s biggest cheerleader. He really gets into it.”

“A cheerleader, huh?” Derek smirked. He could use that information to his advantage.

“Yes,” Lydia replied. “It’s probably because he knows he’ll never be able to play.”

Derek knew if he wasn’t so reserved and quiet he would probably be cackling right about now. “So Stilinski’s a benchwarmer? That’s brilliant!”

“Hm.” Lydia murmured with a smile that said she knew far more than Derek’s puny little brain could ever handle. “Something like that.”

Before Derek could ask more, they were interrupted by Stilinski, who had just completed transfiguring a curtain into a giant banner that read: DOWN WITH THE GRYFFINDORKS!

“Lydia Martin, you gorgeous sea nymph!” Stiles sang out from atop the Slytherin dining table. “Stop fraternizing with the enemy! Especially Hale! New chant, everyone!” Stiles raised his arms like he was a maestro in an orchestra of first years. “HALE SUCKS! HALE SUCKS!”

Lydia rolled her eyes and threw the boy a rude gesture yet still made her way over to him. Before she had made it across the room, however, she glanced back at Derek with a raised eyebrow.

Derek gulped. He recognized that face. That was a challenge.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Gryffindor victory party gets rowdy. Warning for some Underage drinking oops

The Gryffindors won, of course. How could they not when they’ve got Harry bloody Potter out there swallowing snitches left and right? Even though Stiles had wanted to scream for a penalty along with the rest of his illustrious house, he had read the Quidditch handbook enough times to know that Potter’s methods, although unorthodox, were entirely legal.

Of course he still cheerfully decided to get drunk off his fucking head. Because that’s what you do when you’re a mopey Slytherin.

However, Lydia, him and Jackson were conniving even when they were depressed and decided to crash the Gryffindor after party in the search of booze. It seemed only fair that the ones who had lead them to alcohol should be the ones to buy it.

And, yes, they were all definitely too young to be drinking. But they were also too young to do all sorts of Death Eater things that they were expected to do anyways. Getting a bit shit-faced now and again was certainly a better use of the 13 year olds time than practicing the Dark Arts.

So that is how Stiles ended up in the midst of the lion’s den (literally, ha! Stiles cracks himself up) with some Weasley punch in one hand and Jackson’s heavy arms around his and Lydia’s shoulders. The three had taken possession of a sofa not far from the hearth and had long since given up on trying to hide their copious Slytherin memorabilia. Luckily for them, the majority of the Gryffindors old enough to stand a chance at kicking them out were too shitfaced to tell green from red at this point.

“They’re awful at this,” Lydia was complaining to them. “Gryffindor parties are so _loud_ and garish without being expensive. They’re just so trashy.”

Stiles thought this to be a bit hypocritical considering she, herself, was slurring over cheap alcohol provided by the very people she had just described as trashy. Nevertheless, he had no intention of pointing this out. Even a tipsy Lydia was a dangerous Lydia.

Plus, hypocritical sounded entirely too difficult to pronounce at that very second.

“They’ve got no class. They’re as bad as mudbloods.” Jackson agreed.

Stiles glared at Jared and jabbed him in the side, causing him to recoil and spill his drink along his pant leg. “What the hell, Stiles?”

“Didn’t we agree that we wouldn’t use that word?” Stiles demanded.

Jackson wiped poutily at his pants. “I don’t see why we can’t use it.” He grumbled. “That’s what they are, aren’t they?”

Stiles leaned in and whispered furiously, “So are you gonna call me mongrel from now on? Or monster?”

Jackson was noticeably taken aback and quickly shook his head. “Of course not, Stiles! I would never do that!” Lydia nodded encouragingly by his side.

“Well, that’s what I am.” Stiles said darkly. “So it’s the same as calling them mudbloods. So you best make your choice.”

“Ok, ok!” Jackson appeased, trying to wrap his arm around his friend again. “My bad, Stiles! I promise I won’t call them that anymore. But you have to admit that they could use some lessons on culture.”

“Oh, no argument there.” Stiles murmured, before movement caught his eye. Derek was at the other end of the room. And he was with Kate Argent, Queen of Bitches, herself. Well, shit. “Excuse me, ladies and gents.” He sat up, using Jackson’s knee as leverage and ignored his friends at they whined at him and instead staggered in the direction of the two.

Unbeknownst to him, a young Hufflepuff muggleborn with puppy eyes and no interest in alcohol was watching his journey with consideration.

 

* * *

 

The Quidditch game had been glorious. Derek had played well. The Gyrffindors had cheered loudly and his team had won. Derek couldn’t ask for much more as a first year. And now they had thrown a party in his honor. Derek’s life was basically tops.

Of course it got ten times better when Derek felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Kate. She was smiling at him, apparently pretty lucidly so maybe Derek and Scott weren’t the only ones at this party who decided to go sober.

“Hello, Derek!” Kate greeted him warmly. Her hand was still on his shoulder and it felt warm and small and nice, like a patch of sun. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you, Kate.” Derek murmured shyly, feeling his throat close up stubbornly from nerves.

Kate seemed to notice his garbled response, if her slight smirk could be trusted. “You flew brilliantly.”

“Oh – I – I don’t know about that – ”

“No, it’s the truth.” Kate insisted, letting her thumb move in small circles on his shoulder. “They wouldn’t have won it without you.”

Derek shook his head furiously. “Oh no. That was all Harry. Potter was really the MVP this time.”

Kate’s smile widened even more and she took a step closer. “But I’m not talking to Harry Potter, am I?”

Derek gulped and shook his head. “So what are you doing here? I mean, not that I don’t want you here but I just didn’t think Slytherins would want to be at a Gryffindor celebration!”

“Most wouldn’t.” Kate agreed. “But I’m not really most Slytherins. I’m not exactly proud of my house. Honestly, I would rather not be in it but it would have broken my father’s heart if I’d have been anywhere else.”

Derek’s heart soared. He had long made peace with the fact that his soulmate was in the worst house in the world but it was so incredibly pleasing to hear that it wasn’t where she belonged. Derek _knew_ Kate wasn’t really a Slytherin. She was too good for the house.

“Besides…” Kate continued. “There was someone I needed to see.”

“Oh?” Derek breathed as she got even closer.

“Someone who is much more important than my stupid house.”

Kate got even closer, her pretty pink lips approaching his and he was soaring, even higher than when he was playing Quidditch, because Kate Argent was about to kiss him! Him! Kate Argent was about to –

“Whoops, sorry doll!” A voice Derek really didn’t want to hear at that moment was suddenly assaulting his ears as he felt himself be pushed to the side. Of course Stiles was there right when things were getting good.

“Sod off, Stilinski.” Derek grunted.

Stilinski, who clearly hadn’t been avoiding the liquor this night, squinted at them both before grinning like the Cheshire cat. “Ah, so it’s you, Hale! The man of the bloody hour! And the Lady Argent. Shouldn’t you be off kicking puppies or something?”

Kate glared at him, a snarl forming on her pretty mouth.

“Stilinski.” Derek warned. “Sod. Off.”

“What, you don’t want me around?” Stiles dramatically asked. “I’m hurt! Seriously! I thought you and I were the best of friends!”

“Go away, Stiles.” Kate huffed. “You’re not even supposed to be here.”

“Who says?” Stiles demanded.

“Only anyone who has ever met your annoying self.” Kate shot back.

“Darling, people love me.” Stiles announced with a grin. “It’s you that the general public finds a bit . . . prickly. Or perhaps that was indelicate of me. What I mean to say was bitchy.”

Kate snarled at him. “Stilinski, leave before someone makes you leave.”

“And who exactly is going to make me leave?”

Kate turned to Derek expectantly. Stiles also turned to look at him and Derek suddenly recognized the same challenge in his eye that had been in Lydia Martin’s this morning.

For some reason that made Derek outrageously mad. Why were those two Slytherins challenging him? What did he have to prove? All he wanted to do was kiss the beautiful Kate Argent and Stiles had continuously denied him that. Derek had earned this kiss.

“I will.” Derek said, decision made and pretended not to mind when he saw the disappointment in Stiles’s honey eyes. He felt a bit better when he felt Kate slide her hand into his.

“Are you really, Hale?” Stiles asked. “Because I thought we had moved past that.”

“How could we have?” Derek trudged on. No point turning back now. “How could we have when I’m a Gryffindor and you’re just a future Death Eater. A future murderer. I’m always going to hate you. Death Eater scum.”

To say that Derek didn’t expect the massive punch to his right eye would be a lie. No. As he sat on the ground with his eyebrow already swelling and Kate Argent cooing over his face while Stiles and his friends stormed out like three Slytherin rain clouds, he didn’t find himself surprised whatsoever.

No. All he felt was regret.

And a surprising amount of pain given that the punch was delivered by a human.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of the party

_Future Death Eater. Future murderer. Death Eater scum._

Stiles shook his head viciously. It didn’t matter. Who cares if some uppity Gryffindor werewolf pup thinks Stiles is shit? Why should it matter to Stiles?

_I’m always going to hate you_.

Except it did matter to Stiles. It mattered a whole lot. Stiles had drunkenly stumbled back to Lydia and Jackson after that punch, already feeling tears start to form. Sleep had been fitful, full of glaring green eyes and _hate hate hate._ The next morning was no different. Stiles couldn’t think, couldn’t talk, couldn’t eat without hearing those snarled words. Those cruel words that hurt because they were the very things Stiles always feared hearing. Thank Merlin that Hale wasn’t at breakfast. Stiles couldn’t bear to have to pair his face with those words.

_Death Eater scum_.

“Fuck him.” Lydia said, interrupting that lovely train of thought. “No, seriously, Stiles. Fuck. Him.”

Stiles nodded in agreement but obviously he was pretty unconvincing because Jackson reached across the table to thump him on the back of the head.

“Listen, numbskull.” Jackson said gruffly. “What the fuck does he know? Hale’s not God. He doesn’t know shit about you.”

“I don’t know.” Stiles mumbled glumly. “Almost everyone seems to agree with him. Maybe they’re all right. Maybe I should just give in.”

“Oh shut it, you winey brat.” Lydia snapped, her eyes betraying her concern. “That’s complete rubbish and you know it. If you go dark just because one Gryffindork idiot says that’s what you are then we obviously can’t be friends. I’m not friends with cowards.”

Stiles glared at her for a couple beats before sighing and resting his forehead on the table. “You’re right.” He admitted. “Of course you’re right, you beautiful genius.”

Jackson hit him softly on the shoulder. “Don’t call my girlfriend beautiful.”

Lydia then hit Jackson. “And don’t call me your girlfriend. It sounds so muggle.”

“But seriously, guys,” Stiles sighed, propping his chin on one hand. “I can’t deal with this. Them all hating me. It freaks me out and when I’m freaked out, Alph-” Stiles paused, glanced around to check for eavesdroppers and lowered his voice, “ _he_ knows. And that is never good.”

“So don’t get freaked out.” Jackson suggested.

“It’s quite simple.” Lydia agreed.

“Easy for you two psychopaths to say.” Stiles grumbled. “I swear you two have never been embarrassed in your life.”

“When you look this good, it’s impossible to be embarrassed.” Jackson said with a shrug and then laughed when Stiles tried to swat at him.

Stiles laughed too, though, once he felt his annoyance had been properly represented. _These two_. Stiles thought. _These two are going to save me from being what Hale wants me to be_.

 

* * *

 

Derek Hale woke up the morning after the Quidditch game and subsequent party with a twinge in his back, a swollen eye and a firey ball of guilt burning in the bottom of his stomach. The backache and the eye were quickly fixed by a couple severely overpriced potions from the Weasley twins, but the guilt just sat there like a stone.

Derek tried to ignore it. Stilinski was out of line. If he didn’t want to hear those things he shouldn’t have interrupted Derek and Kate. He shouldn’t have insulted Kate. He shouldn’t have been at a Gryffindor party in the first place.

(Derek liked to pretend to himself that these things were enough to excuse his behavior. It worked rather poorly.)

Plus, Derek felt as though he had already been punished for any real wrongdoing on his part. After Stiles had punched him and stalked off to his Slytherin cronies (and seriously, was all of Slytherin at the party?), Derek had sat down heavily in an armchair. Kate had cooed at him at first, murmuring about second years who just didn’t know how to mind their own business, but when it soon became apparent that Derek was far too dizzy to participate in anything snogging related, she had left. Thus, Derek was left confused, un-snogged and seriously guilty.

Nevertheless, he attempted to chant excuses to himself while he slowly showered, got dressed, and headed to the Great Hall for a terribly late breakfast. It might have worked too, had he not been stopped by a frowning Hufflepuff on his way there.

“Oh, hey Scott,” Derek greeted with a weak smile, “Sorry, I can’t talk now, I’m headed to breakfast.”

“Wait, Derek!” Scott insisted, grabbing onto Derek’s sleeve. “I heard about what happened with Stiles last night.”

“Oh.” Derek said confusedly. “Ok.”

“I just want you to know that while I think you’re a nice person, I don’t think you’re right about Stiles.” Scott said earnestly, a pouty frown on his puppy face. “Stiles is a nice person, too.”

Derek’s forehead wrinkled. “Stilinski’s an arse.”

“Maybe sometimes.” Scott allowed. “But usually he’s a nice person! Really!”

“How would you even know that? Have you ever even spoken with him?” Derek asked, the guiltiness he was feeling turning to indignation.

“I have!” Scott insisted. “He’s stuck up for me! And for muggleborns in general!”

“Muggleborns!?” Derek asked incredulously. “No offense, Scott, but Slytherins hate muggleborns.”

Scott rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say that Slytherins stuck up for muggleborns in general. I said _Stiles_ did!”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that basically the same thing?”

“If you really think that then you aren’t as cool of a person as I thought you were.” Scott said softly, his eyes a bit sad.

“All right, all right!” Derek appeased him. No one could make Scott look that sad and not feel bad about it. “I get what you’re saying. And maybe you’re right. Maybe I was a bit harsh with Stiles. But he’s said some awful stuff to me, too!”

“He’s never called you a murderer, though.” Scott pointed out. “And, sure, I don’t know the whole situation with you two. I’m sure you’re both guilty but all I’m saying is that you shouldn’t have said what you said. But Stiles was crying when he left and so-”

“Wait, what?” Derek interrupted with his eyes wide. “Stilinski was crying?”

“Yea, and so I think you should apologize.” Scott said with wide earnest brown eyes. “I think you’re both good people. Maybe you could even be friends…” Derek shot him a glance, “of a sort.”

“Doubtful.” Derek murmured distractedly, caught up on the idea that Stilinski, snarky, obnoxious, _Stiles Stilinski_ , was crying.

The fire in his stomach was a full brown inferno at this point and Derek knew that no amount of excuses would be calming those flames.

Scott, bless his earnest soul, was right.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apologies and Winter Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but here's a slightly longer chapter than normal!

“Stilinski!” Derek called out to Stiles’s retreating form. “Wait up!”

“Bugger off, Hale!” Stiles grumbled and just appeared to pick up his pace.

Derek growled under his breath and jogged to catch up. When he finally did, he grabbed Stiles’s arm (perhaps a bit too roughly for the purpose of this conversation) and tugged him around.

Stiles whipped around to fix Derek with the darkest glare Derek has ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and he lives with _Laura!_ “What, Hale? What could you possibly have to say to me that you haven’t already said? Or should I say, screamed?”

Derek frowned. He was off to a fantastic start. “No, listen, Stiles …”

“No, you listen! You great big ridiculous prat-faced troll! I don’t have to sit around and be insulted by you!” Stiles declared, placing his hands on his hips. “I’ve actually got a life and things to do that don’t involve famous Quidditch playing first years who think they can talk down to us little people just because they can throw a ball through a bloody hoop!”

“I know that, Stilinski …”

“And even if I did have the time to sit here and be thoroughly dressed down for something I didn’t even do, I’d still tell you to go straight to hell, Hale!” Stiles continued to rant, his shoulders heaving with the strength of his emotion. “Because you, Hale, are a complete and total arse!”

“I know!” Derek cried. “I know I’m an arse!”

This certainly shut Stiles up as he simply stared at Derek with his mouth open. He seemed to realize the ridiculousness of his expression and quickly adopted a look of aloofness. “Good.” He sniffed.

“Stilinski, I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.” Derek said gruffly. “It was … it was wrong of me to yell at you like that.”

Stiles was still frowning at him in a way that was faintly disbelieving but he nodded his head so that Derek knew he had his attention.

“I don’t believe all those things I said about you.” Derek assured him, even as he felt his cheeks heating up. Apologizing was embarrassing. And apologizing to _Stilinski_ was nauseating. “I was just mad. And-and- well, mad.”

“Yes, yes, we all know you only have 2 emotions.” Stilinski griped, but there was no real bite to his words. Instead he was looking at Derek in a considering way that almost made things worse.

“Shut up,” Derek grumbled.

“Hey, you’re supposed to be begging for forgiveness, not ordering my silence!” Stiles protested.

Derek fixed him with a dark look before heaving a long-suffering sigh. “Do you forgive me, Stilinski?”

Stiles held out as long as he possibly could before cracking into a grin. “Whatever, you big oaf. I guess I can let it slide this one time. But don’t spread this around! I’d like to keep my reputation of being a marathon grudge-keeper.”

Derek nodded, not even bothering questioning that one. “Well, I’m glad that’s cleared up.”

“Yup, me too.” Stiles replied and they both just looked at each other.

Derek, squirming under the weight of Stiles’s curious brown gaze, finally gave in and did something he would have never thought he was capable of: small talk. With _Stilinski_. What had the world come to? “So… winter holiday.”

“Yes, Hale, that is a thing.”

“Are you, er, going home?”

Stiles shuffled his feet and glanced down. “Naw. I’m staying here at the school.”

“Oh,” Derek mumbled in surprise. “That’s too bad. I know it sucks to not be with your family for holidays.”

Stiles let out a rather mocking laugh that Derek almost instinctively growled at. “Yea, I guess.”

Derek, at a loss for words, ran his hand through his floppy black hair in frustration and confusion. “Well,” he finally said awkwardly, “have a good break.”

“Yea, Hale,” Stiles said, fixing him with a very direct stare, “you too.”  
 

* * *

 

The conversation with Stiles stuck with Derek long after he leaves the castle. Stiles’ intent brown eyes and weird little comments were still nagging at his mind as Derek greeted the endless progression of Hale relatives, all excited to hear about his first year. Derek fended them off the best he could, secretly pining for the silence of Hogwarts, but he still found himself the center of many conversations.

It was great to see his parents again. It was only once he had seen their familiar smiles and sensed his mother’s alpha authority that he truly realized how much he had missed the sensation of _pack_. Derek wasn’t just home. He was free to be himself. And that was a sensation that he had certainly missed dearly.

But even with the comfort of home and safety, Derek couldn’t help but contemplate that conversation. It had felt rather odd, rather like a truce. What would a truce with Stiles Stilinski even mean? They certainly weren’t friends, and Derek still wasn’t quite so sure about Stiles’ position on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but Derek couldn’t find it in himself to call Stiles an enemy anymore. Especially not after what Derek had said to Stiles at the party.

Derek was forced to confront his new relationship with Stiles at dinner. He had been carefully dodging certain topics of conversation, like Quidditch (his mother’s disapproving frown had been more than enough to make him desperately segue into a speech about Transfiguration) and Kate. When Laura had casually mentioned how close Derek seemed to be getting with Kate, the adults at his table had grown quiet.

“I don’t think you should be getting close to that girl,” Derek’s mother had warned softly.

“Mum,” Derek whined, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Listen to your mother,” Derek’s father implored, and the conversation had moved on.

This had angered Derek. Hadn’t he proven that his self-control was fantastic? He was literally living among humans on a day-to-day basis and none had even gotten a hint of his lycanthropic problem. Did his parents really not trust him to be able to control himself around a pretty girl? Derek would show them. He would prove to them that he and Kate were meant to be.

This determined line of thinking was soon cut off, however.

Laura, sod it all, was regaling his anxious parents with stories of Halloween. “… and then, Derek, the absolute idiot, was marching off in the complete wrong direction because he thought he would go and _defeat the bloody troll_!”

“Derek!” His mother cried. “How could you be so thoughtless?”

“Mom, come on! It was the heat of the moment!” Derek insisted. “And it isn’t like I actually did anything!”

“Yea, you can thank Stiles Stilinski for that!” Laura huffed, tearing off a peace of bread with her fangs.

“Stiles Stilinski, hm?” Peter interrupted. Peter, who was by no means Derek’s favorite uncle, had been awfully quiet that evening, which was entirely out of character for the irritably loquacious man. But now he seemed to have latched onto a conversation he could happily twist. “I know that name. A rather familiar one.”

“Peter.” His mother warned. “Enough.”

“Now, now, Talia. I just think that it’s odd that a little Death Eater-in-training would go out of his way to help our boy, Derek. Quite strange, in fact. But, then again, perhaps he sensed a connection.” Peter mused.

“Peter!” Derek’s mother snapped.

Derek frowned, his stomach swimming with confusion and anger and something like righteousness. The conversation was swirling within his head, and all he could hear was his angry words at the party, the smack of Stiles’ hand against his face, hurt brown eyes. Suddenly, he found himself speaking. “He’s not a Death Eater.”

“What’s that?” Peter asked curiously.

“Stiles.” Derek said. “He’s not a Death Eater. He’s just a Slytherin.”

The table was quiet now and Derek could feel a few adults, including Laura, staring at him. But Derek forced himself to stay locking eyes with Peter. Peter’s eyes were hard but with time they softened with something that seemed to resemble amusement.

“My mistake, then.” Peter purred.

Derek nodded and went back to eating. Gradually conversation started up again but a quick glance confirmed that his parents were still watching him thoughtfully, as if they were measuring him.

 

* * *

 

The bizarreness of the Hale situation as well as the general flurry of activity throughout the beginning of the year had successfully distracted Stiles from his otherwise crippling paranoia regarding his Alpha’s plans. Of course, the holiday break did a wonderful job of reminding him why he had spent the summer months quivering.

See, while for most people Christmas meant presents and cheer and charmed snowmen, for Stiles it meant a couple lonely weeks praying his Alpha was distracted enough by women and firewhiskey to not notice his absence. No such luck this year it appeared.

Thus, Stiles wasn’t entirely surprised Christmas morning he received a black, unmarked envelope along with the presents from Lydia and Jackson. Having received several similar packages in the past, Stiles knew enough to shove the envelope into his robes before any of his professors noticed. A glance over at the Gryffindor table saw that Potter was similarly distracted, content with glaring at the Slytherin head of house. It was simple enough to wait until he was alone to read it seeing as there were hardly more than half a dozen students left in the school this break.

The letter had been charmed to appear blank but Stiles simply had to flash his wolf eyes for a few brief sentences to melt into appearance. Attached had been a small mirror that could fit in his pocket. The contents of the letter, like Stiles’s Alpha, were gruff, creepy and overly aggressive.

_Pup._

_It’s time to prove you aren’t completely useless. Watch out for Quirrell. Give him whatever help he needs. If I find out you don’t, you’ll be sorry. The mirror is for communication. If you screw up you better let me know._

Yup. That was his Alpha. Always charming, always generous with the information. What more could he ask for?

Stiles quickly tossed the letter into the hearth before leaning back into one of the emerald green armchairs and attempted to calm his nerves. Quirrell had always seemed a bit off to Stiles but always in the “I’m a complete weirdo who still lives with his mum” way rather than a way that would actually interest his Alpha. Now that he did know that there was something seriously wrong with the professor, Stiles could only groan. What was his life that when given evidence of the creepiness of someone, Stiles was then expected to help that person at all cost.

Nevertheless, Stiles did try and catch the man’s attention the next day in passing in the nearly empty halls. But a nod of his head only made the professor’s turban quiver and he quickly scuttled away.

This was way too much work for a simple second year Slytherin (alliteration is his _bitch_ ).


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone's back from the winter holidays!

Derek returned from the holiday break feeling completely rejuvenated and utterly determined.

Having decided to prove himself a true adult wizard rather than just the little boy his mother appeared to continue to view him as, Derek set himself a few goals in order to generally improve his life. He’d even written them down in a small leather book he’d found before quickly tossing the item into the fire in case Laura found it. Derek figured his memory sufficed and it certainly wasn’t worth the risk of acute humiliation from his evil older sister.

The list went something like this:

  1. Make more of an effort in Potions. No matter how much Snape bugged him, Derek couldn’t very well ignore the fact that receiving good grades in Potions unlocked some of the most desirable positions later in life. It was simply essential.
  2. Practice making sharp turns on broomstick with Potter. While Derek’s werewolf reflexes allowed for the majority of Quidditch to be child’s play, he still relied too much on them and that just wouldn’t do. Especially since they were technically illegal.
  3. Get back into Scott’s good graces. While Derek may have had time to take Scott’s advice before winter break, he had yet to make a concerted effort to prove that he wasn’t the bigoted asshole that he’d acted like at that party. Derek needed to show Scott that he was worthy of being friends with.
  4. Eat more. Derek needed to bulk up if he ever had a chance of looking anything older than 10 years old.
  5. Clear the air with Kate. She had sent him a lovely letter over the holiday break that expressed her wish that he was having a nice Christmas. Derek had had to hide the letter before his parents could wrinkle their noses at it but he was rather certain that Laura had caught a glimpse of the sender before he’d snatched it away. Clearly she was interested in him, although Derek couldn’t quite understand why, and Derek needed to talk to her about their behavior at the party and maybe get her to see that while Stiles was annoying, they still couldn’t treat him that way. Which leads him to his next point.
  6. Get closer to Kate. Maybe if Kate showed this understanding, they would have a chance at the romantic relationship Derek had been praying for all fall. Derek needed to make that happen.
  7. Be civil with Stilinski.



 

Of course, all of these things (especially #7) were easier said than done and Derek didn’t hold very high hopes that he would accomplish much. However, Derek chose to believe that the fact that he even created this list in the first place displayed enough emotional maturity to excuse his halfhearted attempts to carry out said list.

Nevertheless, he buckled down to put in a decent effort. He began taking legitimate notes in Potions rather than just zoning out and relying on his partner. He put in an extra hour after practice with Wood and Potter, picking their brains on sharper, smoother maneuvers and began to see a difference.

Scott was quickly consoled by Derek’s explanation and apology. Honestly, the kid was much too sweet for his own good.

Kate made Derek’s job even easier. She approached him as soon as they returned to school between classes one day and pulled him off to the side.

“Hey, Derek, I was hoping we could quickly talk.” She had said.

“Kate! Hi! And yes – yes I’d love to talk. We really should –er- talk.” Derek had tripped through his response.

Kate had given him a consoling smile. “I think things may have gotten a bit out of hand at the party before break. Honestly, Stilinski just really gets under my skin and he always tries to make me look like something I’m not.” She lowered her eyes at him. “He embarrassed me in front of you.”

“Oh! No no! I mean, yes, things got out of hand, but you shouldn’t be embarrassed! We were all acting poorly and Stilinski definitely knows how to instigate a good fight. We just can’t treat him that way either.” Derek had insisted.

“Right.” Kate had agreed with a grin. “We mustn’t stoop to his level.”

While this wasn’t exactly the point Derek had been attempting to make, Kate had quickly prowled off before he could clarify, leaving Derek to simply regard her disappearing form with a relieved smile. Thank goodness Kate was just the girl that Derek had always thought her to be.

And this really only left #7 on the list for Derek to deal with. While it wasn’t exactly pleasant to begin making nice with the boy who had been his rival thus far this year and had been the cause of a certain amount of stress and irritation, Stilinski was making it rather easy on him.

The holidays had left Stiles noticeably quieter, and less interested in pursuing any sort of prank war with Derek. Whenever Derek found himself trying to catch the wizard’s eye in the Great Hall, Stiles always seemed distracted, usually staring at the faculty table. Having noticed this pattern, Derek soon determined that the recipient of Stilinski’s stares was one Professor Quirrell.

Why on earth would Stilinski be so fixated on that bumbling nervous wreck of a teacher? Was Stilinski planning a prank on the man? Did he secretly hate the professor? Or was it just the opposite?

Derek had immediately recoiled at the idea. It left him with a sick taste in his mouth as if his body was rebelling against the very idea. Nonetheless, it was all Derek could think about and he seriously needed to get the images out of his mind.

Perhaps the frustration over those images is what resulted in Derek breaking his #7 promise within the week of his return.

“Merlin, Stilinski, could you stop mooning over Quirrell for 5 minutes?” Derek had growled in passing at dinner.

Instead of being offended, Stilinski had simply adopted a smirk and called out, “Believe me when I say I’m _not_ into Quirrell, Hale! But thanks for taking such an active interest in my love life.”

Whittemore and Martin had snorted and Derek had hurried off with a red face. It wasn’t until he had left the Great Hall that he realized Stiles had never said he didn’t like boys.

As if the Stilinski situation wasn’t complicated enough. 

 

* * *

 

 

Stiles didn’t know what his alpha was playing at. No matter how much he watched out for Quirrell, the professor never let on that he was anything more than an overly anxious weirdo. Anytime Stiles thought the professor looked like he might even hint at doing something Dark he always just ended up stuttering or tripping or making a fool of himself. Even Stiles’ wolf senses didn’t give him any information. The man just smelled overpoweringly like garlic and mothballs. Not exactly eu de Death Eater.

As if this failure to successfully follow his alpha’s orders wasn’t bad enough, Derek bloody Hale had to notice his pursuits. The boy had even insinuated that Stiles had a crush on the professor. Ha. As if. Even if Stiles did like guys it didn’t mean that he liked sniveling spineless twigs like Quirrell.

Speaking of Derek bloody Hale, Stiles might as well drop the bloody. The two were practically civil at this point. Apart from the occasional snark, Derek and him had not gotten into a single spat. Derek even seemed to be attempting to make contact more often and if Stiles didn’t have a professor to stalk and an Alpha that would kill him for trying, he might actually reciprocate. That being said, it was kind of nice to have the kid he had been looking out for all year finally stop hating his guts. Maybe there was some hope for the universe.

Of course, the universe must have heard him thinking this very thought because it seemed like the very next day that Derek began to redouble his efforts to win Kate.

“Hey Hale!” Stiles yelled, shooting a tripping hex at the boy as he made his way over to where Kate was waving. God Stiles wished he could just be sending these hexes at Kate. But if hurting Derek was a no-no with the Dark community, then hurting an Argent was just asking for a good Crucio.

Derek glared up from his spot on the ground with something like disappointment in his eyes. “I thought we were done with this, Stilinski.”

“Ah,” Stiles gulped. He really hadn’t thought this through. “Right, sorry. Must have forgotten for a second. My bad, Hale.” He reached down to help him up.

Derek seemed slightly appeased by this. “Alright, see you.”

The moment the first year turned towards Kate, Stiles instinctively shot out another hex and Derek tripped once again.

“ _Stiles_.” Derek growled.

“Sorry! Sorry!”

“By Merlin I swear…”

“A slip of the hand! I promise!” Stiles insisted.

“Well stop bloody slipping!” Derek snarled back. “One more time and this – this – _truce_ or whatever it is stops!”

“Got it.” Stiles replied miserably as he watched Derek make his way toward Kate. He was weak. He honestly liked being somewhat ok with Hale. It was harder to be an ass to him now.

Watching Derek and Kate smile and agree about something Stiles couldn’t help but think it would be much harder to explain why Stiles had let a Hale get killed on his watch. He needed to just man up and be the bastard everyone needed him to be.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek gets some good news.... Stiles not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank everyone who has been leaving kudos and comments. They honestly mean the world and are such great encouragement! Anyways, we are moving into the end of the first part of the story. Hope you enjoy!

Derek’s first year at Hogwarts was coming to an end. He could honestly say it had been a fairly successful one. Him and Scott had become close once again. Boyd and Erica were beginning to become his almost-friends within Gryffindor. Gryffindor was doing well in Quidditch and Derek wasn’t totally failing all of his classes. He had even made almost nice with his biggest enemy at school, clearly a feat of social excellence.

But Derek couldn’t help but think that there was one last thing he needed to do before summer break. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least _try_ to ask Kate Argent out. He had to.

So this mission was the only reason he didn’t really snap at Stilinski when the older boy unleashed a flurry of tripping jinxes on him. Sure he was pissed that the kid would break their spell embargo but right now he had bigger fish to fry. He had a third year beauty to ask on a date.

“Kate, hey!” Derek called out, jogging towards her.

“Hello, Derek,” Kate smiled prettily, “Is everything alright? Stilinski’s not bothering you, is he?”

“No, no,” Derek dismissed, “I can handle him.”

“Yes, you sure can.” Kate agreed with a step closer.

Derek felt his wolf puffing up his chest deep within his wolfsbane muted body. “But I don’t want to talk about Stilinski. I want to talk about us.”

“Oh,” Kate said with pleased surprise. “Yes, let’s talk about us!”  
Derek nodded once, summoning all of his determination and Gryffindor bravery. “I know I’m a lot younger than you but I think you’re great, Kate. And I would really like it if you would, erm, if you would _gooutwithme_?”

Derek didn’t think it was possible for his face to get any redder. It honestly felt like he had been doused with fiendfyre. He couldn’t even look at her the embarrassment was so great. What was he thinking? That a gorgeous, independent, intelligent third-year would want to go out with a bumbling first-year nobody? Sure he was ok at Quidditch, but he was just a baby to her. An infant. A complete and utter-

“Of course!”

His head snapped up. “Really?!”

“Derek,” Kate purred, placing a hand on his elbow, “I honestly thought you would never ask. But I would love to go out with you!”  
Derek didn’t think it was possible for him to grin any bigger even if the Weasley twins charmed him. “Brilliant! That’s – that’s – brilliant!” He shook his head, trying to clear out the haze of idiotic bliss. “How about this Saturday?”  
“Perfect.” Kate agreed. “I’ll meet you at the Three Broomsticks at noon.”

“The Three Broomsticks?”

“Yes, in Hogsmeade.”

“Oh,” Derek felt his stomach drop. “Right, I forgot it was a Hogsmeade weekend. But I’m still not old enough to go.”

“Oh, that’s really too bad.” Kate pouted. “We would have had a great time. And it’s not like we will be able to do anything in the next few weeks with exams coming up. What a missed chance.” She had already started to turn, her hair cascading over her shoulder.

“Wait!” Derek could feel the panic set in. He didn’t get this close to turn back now. “I’ll find a way to get to Hogsmeade!”

Kate’s back froze and she turned to him slowly with a slow smile on her face. “I’ll be seeing you there.”

Derek was sure he would think of something.

 

* * *

  

It was Saturday morning and he still hadn’t thought of anything. In fact, Derek was even considering telling Kate up front that he wouldn’t be able to make it for risk of standing her up. Considering that might mean sacrificing any chance of ever being Kate’s boyfriend, he figured himself pretty damn lucky when he happened to overhear some murmurings from Harry, Ron and Hermione.

“-but what about Fluffy? I’m not goin’ up against any three-headed maniac dog no matter what Hagrid says!” Ron was muttering.

“It’s like Hagrid said,” Hermione replied, “just a bit of music and he’ll be asleep. If we can do it, Snape absolutely can.”

“Exactly!” Harry agreed. “So we’ll just take the invisibility cloak to the third floor, play a bit of music and we’re set.”

Derek immediately perked up and ran to intercept the Golden Trio. They all looked shocked that someone was even popping their little bubble.

“Derek?” Harry said. “Hope everything’s all right but we really have to-”

“You have an invisibility cloak?” Derek asked insistently.

All three clammed up immediately.

“You can’t tell anyone!” Hermione ordered.

“I won’t,” Derek assured her before tilting his head, “so long as you let me use it for a couple hours.”

“No!” Harry cried. “Listen, Derek, it’s really important that we have it today! We think something’s going to happen and we need the cloak if it does!”

“It’s a matter of life or death!” Ron cried out.

Derek rolled his eyes. “It’ll only be a couple hours. I really need it too.”

“Sorry, Derek.” Harry shook his head. “Not today.”

As the three began to scurry off, Derek’s wolf growled at the denial. He shook it off and rolled his shoulder. He would need to fight dirty. What would Stilinski do?

“I bet a person could get into a right bit of trouble with an invisibility cloak.” Derek murmured. All three of them froze and turned slightly to watch him warily.

“I bet quite a few professors here might agree with me. McGonagall for one.” Derek continued airily. “I bet she might think it’s better off with Filch than in the hands of some students.”

“Derek Hale, don’t you dare!” Hermione blurted out. “You don’t understand the situation!”

“What I do understand is that if I don’t get to use the cloak today, no one does.” Derek said calmly. “Listen, I’ll get it back to you by mid-afternoon, I’m only going to Hogsmeade. I won’t tell anyone about it. So just let me.”

Harry looked like he was considering punching him but finally he reached into his bag and tossed Derek a bundle of shimmery fabric. “I swear to Merlin, Hale. You better bring this back. Or else.”

“Yea,” Ron agreed with a glare, “or else.”

Derek broke out into a grin, throwing them a thumb’s up before sprinting to the gates. He had bought himself a way out. It hadn’t been easy but as soon as he sees Kate he knew it would be worth it.

  

* * *

 

 

“Jackson, you complete idiot! I saw you looking at that Ravenclaw girl in Potions!”

“Merlin’s beard, Lydia, have you gone mad?”

“Me? It’s you who’s mad if you would rather look at that skank than at your girlfriend! Oh, wait, did I say girlfriend? I think I meant ex-girlfriend.”

“You’re not serious, are you? Lydia, come on, I wasn’t lookin’ at her. Can’t you just trust me?”

“Apparently I cannot.”

Stiles huffed out a chuckle at the spat between his two friends. “Give up, Jackson.”

“Stay out of this, Stilinski.” Jackson growled back.

“How can I with you two shrieking at each other like a couple of banshees?” Stiles replied, leaning back on the grass of the courtyard.

“Oh, bite me.” Jackson said, rolling his eyes.

“You sure about that?” Stiles asked with a grin. Lydia flicked him in the nose.

“As much as it pains me to admit it, Stiles,” she sighed, “but this massive oaf is right. This argument is between me and my former boyfriend.”

“Oh, Lydia, come on!”

Stiles grinned but closed his eyes and attempted to block out the sounds of his friends by focusing on other conversations. His wolf senses were muted but he could still do some pretty good eavesdropping. It was this skill that had earned him the reputation in Slytherin as the guy to go to for dirt.

Scanning over conversations like a bunch of Ravenclaws comparing grades, a couple Hufflepuffs mooning over some new animal that Hagrid had shown that morning and some Gryffindors essentially grunting at one another, Stiles finally found one he was actually interested in. No coincidence that it was between the Golden Trio.

“…this is insane!” Granger was whispering. “How are the professors not concerned about this?”

“They’re all so bloody confused.” Weasley grunted.

“You’re the confused one.” Granger muttered back. “They’re all too loyal to Professor Snape to ever even consider something bad going on.”

Hmmm. Stiles thought. What had them in such a tizzy? Anything that got the freaking Boy-Who-Lived up in arms was certainly worth paying attention to.

“All I know is that we need to be ready for tonight.” Potter whispered.

Tonight? What was happening tonight? Stiles wondered.

“Yea, we’ll be all set, mate, so long as Derek gets the cloak back to us.” Weasley replied.

Stiles felt his eyes snapping open. Why the hell did Derek always have to be involved in potentially momentous situations? He felt himself suddenly straining to hear more.

“That was a bit odd earlier with Derek, right?” Granger asked. “I’ve never seen him be so pushy.”

“Yea, he was right out of sorts.” Weasley agreed. “I can’t believe he blackmailed us! What could possibly be so important to do that sort of thing to your housemates?”

“I heard he has a date with some older girl.” Potter supplied.

Stiles felt himself go cold.

“What?” Weasley squawked. “Lucky bloke! What girl is it?”

“I think her name’s Argent.” Granger supplied, unknowingly stopping the heart of a boy across the courtyard. “She’s a Slytherin third year.”

“Oh,” Weasley replied, disappointed, “a Slytherin. For a second there I was impressed.”

“Impressed or not, if Hale doesn’t get that cloak back soon we’re all in trouble.” Potter muttered.

Stiles bolted upright, ignoring Lydia and Jackson’s surprised looks as he stalked towards the Gryffindor trio. As soon as they noticed him approaching they regarded him with wide eyes, not used to being approached by any Slytherin besides Malfoy. And Stiles Stilinski was much scarier than Draco Malfoy.

“Potter!” Stiles barked. “Tell me where Hale went.”

“…. What?” Potter stuttered out.

“Hale.” Stiles growled. “Where did he go? Where’s his stupid date?”

“I d-don’t know anything about that.” Potter mumbled out and Stiles seriously couldn’t believe that _this_ was the kid that defeated the Dark Lord.

“Yes, you bloody do. And you’re going to tell me unless you want every Slytherin harassing you for the next six years.” Stiles warned.

“They already do that.” Potter pointed out.

“Believe me, kid. Anything I order will be one hundred times worse than whatever bloody Draco could possibly have requested of his snakes.” Stiles leant down. “So why don’t you let me know where Hale is and we can forget this ever happened.”

Potter glanced to his two friends before turning back. “I’m not afraid of you.”

Stiles let out a groan, running a hand through his hair. Bloody Gryffindors. “Look, Potter. I’m not gonna go hunt the kid down and hurt him. I need to help him with something. It’s honestly in his best interest if you just tell me where he is.”

“I don’t know.” Potter murmured. “He didn’t want anyone knowing about where he was going.”

And they’re loyal too, Stiles thought. Just great. “Yea, but he doesn’t know he needs my help. But he does. And if you don’t tell me where he is he could be in trouble. Ok?”

Potter considered it for a moment longer before nodding. “He’s in Hogsmeade.”

Stiles exhaled quickly, nodding once and leaping off, leaving three Gryffindor first years blinking at his back.

He headed straight towards the corridors Peeves was known to frequent until he caught sight of two orange heads, hunched over some elaborate and most likely immature prank.

“Hey, Weasleys!” Stiles called out.

“Stilinski,” They both said warily, “to what do we owe this pleasure?”

“I need a way into Hogsmeade. Like right now.” Stiles said, making sure he looked both pleading and threatening. Not exactly easy.

They both looked at each other and then back at him.

“And just why…” said one.

“…would we help you do that?” the other finished.

“Because I’ll owe you one.” Stiles said with a wave of his hand. “Anything. Access to the Slytherin dorms? Done. Help with some prank? You got it. Whatever you need. Just please help.”

The twins let him stew for a moment longer before breaking out into identical grins. “Anything for a fellow prank artist!”

“We’ve really admired you ever since you did that thing where Derek could only speak in rhymes!” One exclaimed.

“Yea, even if you are a massively scary and obviously evil Slytherin!” The other agreed.

“So come on!” They each grabbed one of his arms and pulled him down the halls.

Stiles groaned to himself as he thought of how much contact he had with the old Red and Gold today. Hale better be thankful for the inevitable life-saving he would have to do. He seriously didn’t get paid enough for this shit.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final events of Year 1!

Darkness. Confusion. An ache in his head. What was happening?

All Derek could remember is turning the corner of an alley on the way to the Three Broomsticks, a female voice yelling “Stupefy” and then nothing. Literally nothing.

In fact, he still was feeling nothing. His limbs were paralyzed, numb, his muscles feeling like they had been blasted by one of Seamus Finnegan’s magical attempts. Frowning, Derek cracked open his eyes to see that he was tied down to a wooden chair. But even those bonds wouldn’t explain why he felt like he couldn’t muster the strength to even twitch a finger.

Speaking of explanations, what in the bloody hell happened?!

How did he get here, tied up in a chair after clearly being knocked out? Who would attack Derek? He was just minding his own business, on his way to see Kate….

Kate.

“Oh, darling, are you waking up?”

Derek felt like he was about to lose his breakfast as he slowly forced his neck muscles to respond. He was soon helped by a hand in his hair, wrenching his head up to eye-level. And suddenly he was face to face with what he had once thought were the prettiest, kindest, sweetest eyes in the world. He had thought that those smiling eyes only promised happiness. And yet, here they were, engaged in a full grin, and Derek had never seen anything more terrifying in his life.

“Are you a bit tired, darling?” Kate cooed. “Is my little wolf feeling a bit sleepy?”

Derek didn’t think it was possible for his blood to run any colder. But at the mention of his wolf he could have sworn his heart stopped beating.

“Kate?” He slurred. “I don’t understand what’s–”

“Shhh, shhh,” She hushed, putting a finger to his open mouth. “I know you don’t. You’re just a dumb little puppy. Wagging your tail and batting your pretty green eyes, huh?”

“Kate, why – why –”

“Silencio!” Kate’s spell hit Derek and he felt his tongue curl in his mouth. “No more speaking, love. You just need to listen.”

She stepped back, her wand grasped between her two hands as she started circling Derek.

“Now, normally, I’d just kill you on principle,” Kate began as Derek regarded her with wide eyes. “I mean, halfbreeds? In an environment with children? What was Dumbledore thinking?” She let out a high-pitched laugh. When did that sound go from awe-inspiring to terrifying? “I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right, you’re right! I know the Dark is supposed to be all accepting of you halfbreeds. And sure, I’m fine with you fighting with us. I just don’t want you breathing near us.”

Derek tried to glare at her but he was pretty sure it just came across as nervous quivering. What was going on? Was this really Kate? Had she been possessed or was Derek really that dumb to fall for a psychotic bitch?

“But your dumb family couldn’t even do that much!” Kate growled and stepped directly in his line of sight. “Had you just joined the Dark Lord like you were supposed to do then we wouldn’t be having this little problem! We would have been perfectly fine and I could have gone back to just being disgusted by you from afar! But you just had to turn him down!”

She spat at his feet. “Traitors.”

Derek tried to will himself to open his mouth. To strike back. To scream for help. He must still be somewhere in Hogsmeade. Someone had to come. Someone had to save him.

“Now, _some_ ,” She said patronizingly, “think that we shouldn’t touch you. That maybe you will see the wrong you’ve done once the Dark Lord returns. But I say that’s being weak. You shouldn’t get a free pass just because you grow some claws every once in a while. And claws that are so easily controlled, as well! I mean, look at you! Just a bit more wolfsbane and you’re like a little doll. My little doll!”

She dragged a soft hand across his cheekbone and he mustered all his strength just to jerk out of her touch. She snarled at the movement but backed off.

“That’s why I think you should be punished. There should be retribution for turning your back to the Dark Lord when he needed you. All of you fucking stuck-up halfbreeds! You all deserve punishment.” Her eyes darkened and she stepped forward. “And you will be the one to deliver it for me.”

Derek snorted. Apparently some of his latent Gryffindor bravery was setting in. He could practically picture Stilinski rolling his eyes.

“Don’t believe me?” Kate asked. “Well maybe you will after I use Imperius on you!”

Derek’s eyes widened in horror. An Unforgiveable? He really knew how to pick them.

“Yes, then you will really be my little doll!” Kate cried with a grin. “And with a single word from me you will burn them all to the ground! Your bitch of a sister! Your stupid parents! Every single halfbreed with the name Hale! They’re all going to burn and you’re going to watch it happen!”

Derek could feel tears start emerging from his eyes as the situation set in. It was going to be his fault. His family was going to die by his hand, all because he just had to chase after a Slytherin girl. A girl that everyone had warned him about. Why hadn’t he listened? What was wrong with him? Was he just destined to destroy everything and everyone he loved? He shook his head back and forth, willing for anyone, anything to come and to stop this. Stop her. Stop him. Just stop it all. Derek would rather die than let this happen.

He honestly thought this was the end. That this was the moment in which his life ended, just months before his 13th birthday, at the hands of the girl he had blindly loved for a year. He honestly thought it was the end, as he heard Kate’s voice form the word “imperio”, as he saw her wand shoot straight towards him. He honestly thought it was the end.

Until he heard a growl and saw a pair of yellow eyes.

When it happened, Derek couldn’t even scream. Kate’s Silencio was still in effect. All he could do was watch as a dark shape with golden eyes swept across the room and tackled Kate to the floor.

Kate, though. Kate did scream. She screamed as it knocked into her side and she definitely screamed when it swiped claws across her face. She only stopped screaming when it thumped her in the side of her head. Derek didn’t want to even think about what that meant.

In the silence that followed, the wolf remained crouched over Kate’s body, its back clearly rising and falling with each pant. And Derek had been around enough werewolves to know that the dark shape was one as well. There was no denying it. Even without his advanced sense of smell, Derek would recognize those glowing eyes anywhere.

Eventually, the wolf straightened, standing to his full height. At that point, there was no disguising the fact that the wolf was a kid. Definitely a student, and a young student at that. Was one of Derek’s classmates really a wolf all this time? Why hadn’t they reached out to Derek? And how did they know where he was going to be or that he was going to be in danger? How did Derek’s family not know about the existence of other wolves at Hogwarts? Wait, did Laura know? Did she –

All these questions cut off as soon as the wolf turned to face Derek, back in full human form. Derek’s mind went absolutely blank when he was faced with the honey eyes and upturned nose that had taunted him all of first year.

Stiles.

Stiles’s eyebrows were drawn into a tight frown, his mouth pinched and his eyes darting over Derek as if checking for injury. He allowed himself to stare at Derek for a moment longer before abruptly turning his back and reaching into his pocket. He brought out what looked like a pocket mirror to Derek’s obstructed sight before mumbling a few words. Moments later, a haunting growl emerged.

“Pup.” The voice hissed. “This better be important.”

“A-Alpha,” Stiles stuttered. Derek had never heard the boy trip over his words before. “I have a problem.”

“Since when has it been my job to fix your problems, brat?”

Derek blinked in confusion. If this man really was Stiles’s alpha, then fixing his beta’s problems was exactly what his job was. Every werewolf knew that.

“I know, I know!” Stiles quickly assured. “But it concerns the Argents … and the Hales.”

“Explain.” The voice growled.

“Kate Argent tried to imperius Derek Hale into killing his pack. I stopped her and knocked her out but I – I slashed her, Alpha. But I couldn’t let her kill the Hales! You know that we’re not allowed to –”

“Quiet you useless pup.” Stiles’s Alpha snapped. “You should have never let it get to this point. You should have been worrying about far more important things. I’ll deal with you myself this summer.”

Derek watched as Stiles’s whole body deflated and curled in on itself.

“And as for Argent,” The voice continued, “leave her. We’ll take care of it. The Argents will get their due in time. Now don’t bother me again with your screw ups.”

“Yes, Alpha.” Stiles whispered, slipping the mirror back into his pocket.

There were several beats of silence where Derek continued to strain against both his bindings and the silencing charm. Finally, Stiles turned. His eyes were blank as he approached Derek and started untying him. When he finally finished he whispered a Finite Incantatum under his breath and Derek finally felt his tongue relax.

“Stilinski!” Derek gasped. “What – why – Kate –”

“Please don’t talk right now.” Stiles murmured, pulling Derek upright. He grabbed the invisibility cloak from where Derek had been sitting on it on the chair and wrapped it around them both. “Let’s just go back.”

Derek let Stiles drag him back through the passageway. He figured he at least owed Stiles some silence right now.

When the finally arrive back at Hogwarts, Derek had no idea how, Stiles brought them to the entrance of the Gryffindor common room before throwing off the cloak. Almost as if they were waiting for them, the passageway swung open and Harry, Ron and Hermione burst out.

“Finally!” Hermione exclaimed, wrenching the cloak from their hands and the three dashed off down the halls. Stiles and Derek hardly even bothered to watch them go.

“There are people at this school that know you’re a wolf, Hale.” Stiles murmured and Derek’s head snapped up. “You need to be careful.”

Derek gulped but nodded, not focusing on the part where it was assumed that Stiles had known about his wolf status from the beginning. He couldn’t focus on that part.

“Listen, I know everyone says I’m Dark.” Stiles sighed, staring off down the hall. “And they might be right. I mean, you saw what I did tonight.” He let out a humorless laugh. “But just because I’m Dark doesn’t mean that I’m out to get you, ok?”

Derek stared at him before nodding in one short burst.

“Hale.” Stiles said as Derek began to enter the Gryffindor rooms. “You can’t tell anyone.”

Derek looked at Stiles. Stiles, who looked so small and tense and worried and sick. Stiles, who had been warning him about Kate for an entire year. Stiles, who was a Slytherin and Stiles who was a werewolf. Stiles, who was maybe not the monster everyone thought he was.

Derek just nodded.

Stiles fled the hallway.

On his way back inside, Derek almost tripped over Neville Longbottom, caught in a full body bind.

 

* * *

 

           

In the last weeks of school, Derek and Stiles didn’t talk. At first, Derek tried to approach Stiles but the Slytherin would always hide behind Martin and Whittemore. Eventually, Derek would stop trying. The events of that night still haunted him. The what ifs and what could have beens kept him up at night and being around Stilinski just reminded him of that.

Word would come out that Kate Argent had to return home for a family emergency. No one knew if she would be coming back to Hogwarts.

The whole school would be shaken by the confusion of the Golden Trio and the Sorceror’s stone and the ghost of Voldemort? Honestly, Derek still didn’t know exactly what had happened. All he did know was that his life was changed the night that Kate attacked him.

And so, when it was time to once again board the Hogwarts Express and go home, Derek exited the train a changed boy. His family all hugged him and kissed him the same way they always did and Derek forcefully did not let himself think about them all being burned to death. He also did not let himself think about the way Stiles slunk off the train. The way no one was waiting for him. The way he left the station alone as Martin and Whittemore stared nervously at his back.

Instead, Derek stared straight ahead and tried to believe that this was just a normal end to his first year at Hogwarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just want to thank everyone who has been commenting and following this story! I'm sorry for all the delays but for now, that's the end of part 1. Next chapter will have a significant time jump!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow I am so so sorry for this delay. If anyone is even still reading this then please enjoy!

The summer after first year had been absolutely horrible. Derek had spent the entire time hot with the embarrassment of it all. How could he have been so stupid? Everyone had been telling him that Kate was trouble but his dumb crush had stopped him from seeing it.

He never bothered telling his parents about it all, but it seemed like they had gotten word somehow. Instead of yelling at him, like they should have done, they apologized. They told him that the reason they didn’t want to talk about the Argents was because back during the War, the Hales weren’t Light, they were neutral. Because of that, they spent a lot of their time being courted by the Dark side, including the Argents. They were too embarrassed by their neutrality to warn their son of a threat right in front of him.

Derek personally thought this was a load of bollocks. It wasn’t like anyone was encouraging him to be with Kate, right? That was his own damn fault.

Laura was similarly apologetic, if in her own way.

“Idiots!” She had growled. “We both are! Me for not being more protective and you for being a big dummy!”

He’d dismissed this and instead moved onto the root of his curiosity.

“Did you know about Stiles?”

Laura had looked at him guiltily, which he guesses was answer enough. “I’m sorry, Derek. We’d all heard rumors, I mean, even Mum and Dad. People even say that he was turned by Fenrir Greyback! But Stiles and I had an understanding. We might not agree on everything but wolves should look out for each other.”

When Derek had whined that if he had known then he wouldn’t have been such a jackass Laura just snorted.

“Oh, please, Derek. Knowing Stilinski was a werewolf wouldn’t have kept you from squabbling with him. Or from falling for Kate.”

In the end, there was no real way of telling if this was true. But it certainly didn’t keep Derek from yearning for the end of the summer to be able to talk to Stiles, himself, and finally clear the air. He wasn’t going to be deterred this time. Who was Stiles? Who was that Alpha he was talking to? Was Stiles really going to be a Death Eater? And, if so, why bother stopping Kate?

But when he returned for the start of second year, Derek didn’t get the answers he wanted. Stilinski showed up to the Hogwarts Express pale, thin and wan, with a hacking cough and Martin and Whittemore flitting about him worriedly. Derek figured he should give him some time to recover. He was more than distracted by the utter relief he felt at Kate’s lack of return. Rumors had spread that her father had pulled her out of school to instead attend Beauxbatons for a more challenging education, but the way that Headmaster Dumbledore’s blue eyes had settled on him at the return feast made Hale think her exit wasn’t entirely her decision. Even though it meant Kate wasn’t getting any backlash from her peers, Derek was grateful. Any explanation involving what she had done would have to include his status as a werewolf, and his family was under no delusions about the wizarding world’s response to such information.

But even once Stilinski had some color back in his cheeks and some more meat on his bones, Derek didn’t find him any more approachable. It was like they were back to the beginning of first year. Every attempt at speaking to Stilinski only resulted in the boy ridiculing him, or hexing him or ordering the other third year Slytherins to sneer at him. Whittemore and Martin were similarly brick walls, acting like bodyguards anytime Derek tried waiting outside the Slytherin common rooms to catch Stilinski unaware.

Plus, without Kate around for Stilinski to save him from, their paths really didn’t cross much. They were different years, different houses, essentially, different worlds. Some of the other Gryffindors asked why the prank war had appeared to end but Derek just waved it off with assurances that he was focusing on Quidditch. But deep down, Derek almost missed Stilinski dyeing his hair green from across the Great Hall. Almost.

But then again, Derek deserved it. Given his idiocy first year, his complete and utter disregard for all signs pointing to Kate, it really served him right that Stilinski wanted nothing to do with him. Derek wanted nothing to do with himself most of the time.

As second year turned into third, and third into fourth, Derek made peace with the idea that Stilinski wasn’t interested in bonding with Derek, lifesaving episode aside.

 

* * *

 

 

The summer after first year had been absolutely horrible. As soon as Stiles had left the station he had headed for the portkey that always waited for him in the alley down the street. One touch of the old sneaker and Stiles found himself faced with a snarling Alpha who was more than a little disappointed with his behavior this year.

“Did you think that you could just ignore my orders to help Quirrel and instead get mixed up in Argent business? Stupid boy, this was our chance!” He’d snarled before backhanding Stiles across the face.

Stiles hadn’t bothered pointing out how saving Derek was actually following another set of orders from his Alpha. Alpha was just frustrated and furious that Potter had foiled Quirrel somehow and he needed someone to take it out on. Defending himself wouldn’t do anything but make the wolf rage harder.

“You’re never to speak to a Hale again,” Alpha growled.

Rubbing his sore cheek Stiles had looked up in confusion. “Are we no longer courting the Hales?”

Speaking back probably would have earned him another slap any other time but Alpha was so keyed up he had just prowled around the room. “There are whispers that the Hales are leaning Light this time around. No use beating a dead wolf.” He had spun to face Stiles. “I don’t want you getting infected by their weakness. No speaking to the Hales.”

That was the last the Hales and the Argents were spoken of that summer. Stiles never did really find out what happened with Potter and Quirrel but all he did know was that Alpha and his most devoted followers were especially antsy and nearly everything Stiles said earned him a snarl or a smack. Despite Stiles’s naturally curious demeanor, news of the potential rise of the Dark Lord was not at all something he would like to hear about. Lydia would scold him for keeping his head to the ground rather than gathering potentially useful information but Lydia wasn’t here, was she? Lydia wasn’t with a group of mangy, frustrated, and feral wolves in the middle of a god damn forest. Even worse, the pack had relocated even further North this summer to avoid Auror raids and the bitter cold and scarce food left Stiles with a bitter cold.

When he’d returned to Hogwarts paler, thinner, and sicker, Lydia had nearly had a conniption but Stiles was just so thankful to be back, away from those who only saw him as competition or as a spy or as dead weight. And back to having readily available wolfsbane tablets rather than suffering through dreadful full moons.

One thing he wasn’t thankful for was Derek Hale’s persistence in tracking him down and demanding answers. Slipping back into that tired old persona of the rude, arrogant Slytherin felt especially wrong given the events at the end of first year. But it was all Stiles could do to save himself and, ultimately, Hale. While it was tough seeing Derek look so defeated and guilty, Stiles couldn’t help but be a bit selfish for once and look after himself. Besides. The kid really didn’t need him anymore.

Years passed that way. Long, brutal summers full of Dark magic and threats followed by speedy years at Hogwarts marred by his Alpha’s expectations. But Stiles thought he could have dealt with a thousand more years spent that way had it not been for the conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament.

When Harry Potter showed up with Cedric Diggory’s dead body, gasping that the Dark Lord had returned, Stiles knew his life was about to get infinitely worse.

That summer, Alpha was happier than Stiles had ever seen him. Some of the other wolves, like Kali, had even taken to practicing their spellwork after spending so much time spurning their magical sides. It was like they were preparing for something.

That was when Alpha first demanded that Stiles quit Hogwarts. Apparently it was time for him to get serious about the pack’s future. To start preparing to protect his Brothers. That protection would almost positively mean taking the Dark Mark.

Now, Stiles wasn’t stupid. He didn’t grow up with a pack of werewolves and Jackson Whittemore without realizing that he was expected to go Dark. But he had always banked on the fact that Potter was supposed to have killed the Dark Lord. Sure, his Alpha and Jackson’s father had always held out hope that the Dark Lord’s return was imminent, but Stiles was never fully convinced of this. He had simply believed that he would be expected to serve the next up and coming Dark Lord, one that hopefully didn’t mind half-creatures and maybe didn’t have such a penchant for murder.

But no such luck.

For about a month, Stiles was simply consumed with dread. His already pessimistic view of his future just got a whole lot worse and that was a lot of adjusting for a teenager to go through, even a teenage wizard werewolf. But then again, the sorting hat didn’t put Stiles in Slytherin for no reason. No. Stiles was always desperate to get ahead.

That meant Stiles had to start thinking. First thing’s first, Stiles couldn’t let his life at Hogwarts slip away. Losing Hogwarts meant losing any possibility of a future. If he was going to make it out of this alive he would need to be in a place that Alpha and the Dark Lord couldn’t get to him. So he’d spun an elaborate lie about how he could do more damage keeping an eye on Potter since Malfoy was usually caught up in one of his rage boners for the Boy Who Lived. Thank Merlin Malfoy wasn’t what you could typically call “dependable” and his Alpha had reluctantly agreed, with the promise that Stiles would be getting the Dark Mark the following summer.

But just being at Hogwarts wouldn’t be enough. Stiles would have to take steps to ensure a future, something particularly hard when you were one, a werewolf, and two, tied to nearly every figure of death and darkness that the Light supposedly despised. That meant thinking big.

When Stiles arrived at Hogwarts for his sixth, and potentially final, year, he knew that he would have to take a risk.

Which is why Stiles grabbed Derek by the wrist immediately following the Sorting Feast at the beginning of his sixth year.


	12. Chapter 12

“Okay.” Stiles said.

Derek looked down at him like he was a crazy person. Also, what? Down? Since when was he taller than Stiles? “Okay, what?”

Stiles heaved a massive sigh. Honestly, dealing with Gryffindors was so exhausting. Actually, he should correct that. Dealing with Derek Hale was so exhausting. “I’m ready to answer your questions.”

He was shot a dubious look. An annoyingly hot dubious look. Honestly, ignoring Derek for the past three school years hadn’t exactly meant remaining oblivious to the transformation that the younger Hale had underwent. While Derek had always been attractive, with his piercing green eyes and dark hair and tan skin, he no longer looked like a little boy. His chest was broad from years of Quidditch and he those were definitely some biceps peeking out from the woefully baggy school robes. Stiles couldn’t help but notice how big his hands were and when had Derek’s jawline become so pronounced?

Wow, Stiles, he scolded himself, what an entirely unhelpful line of thinking.

“Just like that?”

Stiles let out a breath. No, Derek. Not _just like that_. Unless you count months of abuse, threats of imminent death, destruction and murder as _just that_. But what comes out of his mouth was: “Yeah. Just like that.”

Derek blinked at him for another couple seconds. He opened his mouth but rather than forming words he just let it hang there for a moment.

“Okay with that?” Stiles snapped. Not exactly the calm and collected approach he had been hoping for but honestly his ribs hurt from coughing and he could almost feel Alpha’s hot breath on his neck. So cut him some slack. “Or no longer interested?”

“No!” Derek practically yelled in eagerness before glancing around awkwardly. A couple students passing them on the way to their common rooms looked on in interest but were easily distracted by Filch’s _encouragement_ to go to bed. “Totally interested!” A pause. “Wait, no, I mean–”

“Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean.” Stiles rolled his eyes. How plebian. Imagine still being worried about accidentally making oneself sound vaguely homosexual? Sounds positively medieval.

“I just don’t get why you’re bothering now?” Derek said, his brow furrowed and mouth pinched.

“Ah, ah, ah, that sounds like your first question.” Stiles tutted. “Which I would be more than happy to answer but not here in the bloody hallway.”

“So, where then? And when?” Derek asked eagerly. He thought for a second before his whole expression brightened. “I can sneak out later if you wanted!”

“Hold your horses there, jailbird.” Stiles sighed. “Honestly, you Gryffindors are surprisingly lax when it comes to following the rules. And to think I once thought Granger was a goody two shoes.”

“You shouldn’t make generalizations like that. There are lots of different kinds of Gryffindors.” Derek said with a frown.

“Yeah, yeah.” Stiles dismissed him. So sensitive. “Just meet me in the library after classes Monday. Back of the room, by the Restricted section.”

With that, Stiles spun on his heel, trying to ignore the cowardly part of him that told him this would never work and the idiotic part of him that told him Derek looked entirely too cute when nodding eagerly.

 

* * *

 

 

For the first time since first year, Derek was speaking directly to Stiles Stilinski. _THE_ Stiles Stilinski. The Stiles Stilinski who he had desperately been trying to get an audience with for over three years now. And he had absolutely no idea what was going on.

Despite promising him answers, Stiles was just as enigmatic as Derek remembered. Just as avoidant of a direct response and just as ready to lie at a moments notice. But, honestly, Derek would take what he could get. And if Stiles was offering answers, Derek would most definitely take them.

That didn’t mean that Derek wasn’t suspicious, though. As much as he was desperate for information, he couldn’t ignore the fact that Stiles was rumored to be in Greyback’s pack. With Potter professing the return of He Who Must Not Be Named at the end of the last school year, one really couldn’t be too careful. But, then again, it was that exact kind of thinking that had gotten Derek in trouble in first year.

So, as Stilinski dramatically spun and strutted off into the distance, Derek tried to promise himself that he would reserve judgment as best as he could.

He was still contemplating how exactly one might remain unbiased by the time he got back to the Gryffindor Common rooms. The Golden Trio were off in the corner whispering about something or other (bit early in the year to start all that business innit?) but his sisters were lounging on one of the couches. Cora had arrived at Hogwarts during Derek’s third year and was promptly sorted into Gryffindor, to Derek’s pride and dread. Now he had double the sisters to deal with on a daily basis.

At the sight of his sisters, Derek wondered if he should maybe tell Laura about this potential meeting with Stiles but Derek was nothing if not a champion grudge keeper and he was still hung up on the fact that Laura had failed to mention literally anything about Stiles in the first place. She could afford to be kept in the dark for a teensy bit. At least until Derek found out if Stiles was really in the business of giving out answers.

“What’s got you in such a mood, Der bear?” Cora called across the room.

“That’s not even a mood,” Laura laughed. “That’s his thinking face, the big oaf.”

Decision confirmed. Derek was not telling Laura. Served her right.

“Fuck off.” He grumbled.

“Alright, grumpy, what’s your issue?”

Derek just shook his head and wracked his brain for a response that did not involve Stiles Stilinski. Ah. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would do nicely. “Just that Umbridge woman. She seemed like a trip.”

Good topic, as Laura’s face instantly darkened. “You’re telling me. I’ve heard of her. She’s entirely prejudiced against any part creature individuals.” Laura lowered her voice and leaned into her siblings. “If she catches wind of us, we’re toast.”

“Like Dumbledore would ever let that happen.” Cora dismissed with the wave of a hand.

“Dumbledore can’t control everything. You would do well to remember that.” Laura warned.

Derek shifted uncomfortably. “Right, well. I’m off to bed.”

His sisters, thoroughly distracted by Umbridge, just waved him off.

Derek would let them do the worrying about her. He had enough on his plate with his meeting with Stiles.


End file.
